Thrift Shop Success at Housing Works' Brooklyn Outpost

Housing Works' two-year-old Brooklyn outpost on Montague Street had a banner year in 2008. According to the Daily News, the thrift store made over $1 million last year, "far outstripping other borough thrift shops." The News points out that Housing Works—which provides care, meals, job training and other services for homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS—"carries higher-end merchandise than most thrift stores by screening donations so that only top-notch items make it into the store," though items can be found for as little at $1 (like a pair of jeans). One shopper said, “It’s a very chic thrift store. It’s not Goodwill. It’s Brooklyn Heights, and they probably get a lot of high-ticket items and a lot of people who are willing to pay for them.” Photo: Apartment Therapy