Local student finds community and other hidden treasures working at Das Thrift

High school senior Paige Runions started volunteering at Das Thrift when she was 12 years old and was hired as an employee when she was 15.

Paige Runions wanted to start volunteering at Das Thrift about six years ago, but she couldn’t—she was too young. She had wait until she turned 12 a year later.

Now a 17-year-old high school senior about to graduate, Paige’s role at Das Thrift has grown with her. Das Thrift was the first place she volunteered on her own, without a family member present. It was also the first place she’d ever interviewed when she applied for a job after she turned 15.

Paige interviewed for two jobs simultaneously. She interviewed with both Das Thrift Manager Catalina Arellano and Jubilee Manager Laura Rodriguez at the same time—an intimidating process, she said. Despite her jitters, both women hired her.

Paige’s grandmother volunteered at a thrift store in Seattle and would often take her grandchildren along with her to help out during her shift. Paige thought it was fun—she especially liked finding hidden treasures, just like many thrift store enthusiasts. That early experience led her to reach out to Das Thrift about volunteering when she was 11 years old.

Starting a volunteer career before high school

Once she was old enough to volunteer, she started by putting items out on the floor that had already been priced. She remembers the first time she organized the game section, and how great it felt when Catalina told her she’d done a good job.

“I’ve always been a sort of picky and neat person, so I really like organizing things,” said Paige.

However, some parts of the job took some getting used to.

“The first time I got to price something by myself, it was super stressful,” she said. “I thought, ‘I literally haven’t even started high school yet. What am I doing?’”

Although Paige chose not to continue to work at Jubilee after MEND sold it, she still works a couple days a week at Das Thrift. She enjoys all the familiar faces she sees at the thrift store, and the opportunity to build relationships with customers.

“I notice a lot of regulars, as opposed to touristy people,” she said.

In addition to seeing the same people regularly, Paige also appreciates the community building aspect of working at Das Thrift.

“Besides the getting paid part of it, my parents did a really good job of emphasizing community. If you want the community to support you, you have to support them, too.”

Another advantage, she says, is the sustainability aspect of buying items second hand.

“It’s cool—all the things in this store have meant something to someone, and now someone else will find meaning in them. And we’re helping the earth while we’re at it.”

Paige has been accepted to Western Washington University and plans to major in history and minor in education. Her goal is to become a high school history teacher. She plans to increase her hours at Das Thrift over the summer before heading to Bellingham for school in the fall.

“{Das Thrift has} been a really big part of my life,” she said. “I think a lot of kids do volunteer hours just for awards or recognition. I never really felt like that was why I was doing it. I guess that I’ve just really liked the work. I’m glad that MEND and the thrift store have been such a supportive place for me for so long.”