Das Thrift powers essential lifeline for Upper Valley residents

Das Thrift offers a range of goods, including clothing for kids and adults, household goods, shoes and jewelry. Women’s clothing is their most popular item.

Das Thrift is a small thrift store on the corner of Front Street and 14th Street, just off Highway 2 in Leavenworth. Despite its limited space, it boasts a broad mix of clothing for both children and adults, shoes, bedding, household items and books.

The thrift store began as part of the Community Cupboard food pantry, originally sharing its space further down the block. Although the two became separate locations in 2018, they are still inextricably linked. First because both are programs of Upper Valley MEND, and second because the thrift store has always been used to help pay for the costs of running the food pantry.

A small store with a big mission

“The Community Cupboard is unique compared to many food pantries across the region,” says MEND Executive Director Kaylin Bettinger. “It’s open six days a week, has paid staff, and has a budget specifically for purchasing certain food items. Because of those things, it’s relatively expensive to run. It costs over $300,000 per year to operate. We can make that work because profits earned from Das Thrift help subsidize the Community Cupboard. When those profits are combined with generous community donations, it means the Cupboard can operate sustainably each year.”

Anyone who wants to donate to Das Thrift takes their items to the sorting center, which is still attached to the Community Cupboard. There’s a convenient drive-up window, where volunteers accept goods and sort through them.

Most people give Das Thrift items that are in very good condition and have a high likelihood of being re-sold. Clean, gently used clothing and household goods without any stains or holes are put out for sale at Das Thrift. But Das Thrift has limited space and can’t fit everything that is donated. Some of it is boxed up and sent to the Wenatchee Goodwill, which can accept many items Das Thrift simply doesn’t have room for.

Das Thrift Manager Catalina Arellano and her staff and volunteers are selective for a reason—the more quickly items sell, the more people can find help with food at the Cupboard.

“Say someone donates a pair of pants,” says Das Thrift Manager Catalina Arellano. “I don’t see the pants. I see how much I can sell them for to buy nutritional food for a family.”

Catalina has been Das Thrift’s manager since 2020. She and her team of staff and volunteers make sure the items at Das Thrift have the best possible chance to bring in money for the Community Cupboard. Her most popular items—women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry and household items—take up a large part of the store’s inventory. Each item is priced according to a value chart, based on its condition and what the item would sell for in a retail store.

“Everything depends on the item’s quality, how it looks, and its brand,” says Catalina.

Volunteers and staff tackle different sections as time allows, pulling out items that have been there longer than two or three weeks. Any items that are new with a tag will be marked down. Used items go to the $2 rack. Everything else is shipped off to Goodwill.

“We basically give it a month at most, and if it doesn’t sell it’s gone,” said Catalina. “We have to do a different section every day to keep up because we have so many sections. Since the store is small, I like when the shelves have things that look good and catch the customers’ attention.”

More than any other MEND program, Das Thrift depends heavily on the help of volunteers. As many as eight volunteers a day work in shifts at Das Thrift and the sorting center. Das Thrift usually has two employees working in addition to the volunteers.

Many of Das Thrift’s volunteers are motivated by a genuine desire to help others. For some, volunteering also offers a meaningful way to connect with the community and adds purpose to their weekly routine. It’s a chance to make a difference while also enriching their own lives. 

Although many people see donating to a thrift store as a way to give away something they don’t want anymore, Catalina encourages people to look at their donation in a different way.

“It’s not just about clearing out your closet,” she says. “Every item you donate helps us feed someone who’s struggling. That’s a powerful gift.”