Environmental nonprofit Big Reuse to open 5,000-square-foot thrift store in Bushwick * Brooklyn Paper

"We take in a lot more stuff and a greater variety of stuff than most thrift stores do,"

"That is something we bring, a commitment to put as much as possible into reuse, and our Gowanus store has been super busy recently. There seems to be a real surge of interest in thrifting and reusing stuff and it felt like we have the momentum to keep going forward."

"There's so much going in that neighborhood, and lots of thrift stores already. We think it's a destination for thrift stores and we just wanted to be part of that."

"We're making all the shelves ourselves out of reclaimed scaffolding lumber."

A low-slung brick warehouse at 378 Troutman St. in Bushwick will become a Big Reuse thrift store offering books, dishes, glasses and other homewares. The nonprofit selected Bushwick because of ongoing neighborhood projects and an established thrifting scene, aiming to be part of that destination. The 5,000-square-foot space is being built out using salvage materials, with shelves made from reclaimed scaffolding lumber, and targets a mid-December opening. The new store is smaller than the Gowanus center and will not carry furniture, building salvage, or appliances; the Gowanus location will continue selling a full range of salvage goods for DIYers and renovators.

Read at Brooklyn Paper