The Goodwill store in Charlotte's Steele Creek neighborhood buzzed late last week as eager browsers thumbed through aisles of discount-priced shirts, pants and blazers, sliding hangers click-click-clack along clothing racks.
It's a sound thrift shops across the region have been hearing a lot more lately.
While the economic downturn has sent other retailers' sales plummeting, resale stores are thriving.
Sales at local Goodwill stores, which had started to slip at the beginning of the year, have picked up in recent weeks. Since April 1, sales at the 17 Charlotte-area Goodwill stores open a year or more are up 5.8 percent compared with the same period last year. Many mainstream retailers, meanwhile, are seeing declines of 8 percent or more.
Sales at local Salvation Army stores have increased 5 percent this year. Other operations say they're also experiencing gains or at least staying flat.
The trend is playing out nationally, too. In the first four months of the year, Goodwill's same-store sales were up nearly 6 percent across North America. More than 70 percent of those who have responded to an ongoing member survey by the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops have also reported increased business.
"The economy is making people think about what they buy and where they buy it," said Melissa McNamara, donations coordinator for Habitat for Humanity's local ReStore locations, where sales this year are up 15 percent over last year's numbers.
Though difficult times can drive more shoppers into thrift stores, which rely on donated items, it's not necessarily a given, said Bo Hussey, vice president for marketing and communications for Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont.
In February, the nonprofit also began advertising its stores for the first time locally, which also could have provided a boost, he said.
Thrift stores have always attracted a mix of people who need to shop there and those simply looking for distinctive deals. But their appeal deepens when rising gas prices could mean the difference between being able to clothe your children or not.
Greater sales also mean the nonprofits that operate thrift stores can help more people in the community.
Proceeds from local Salvation Army stores fund a drug and alcohol treatment program for men. Goodwill uses the money it raises to offer free job-finding resources, skills training and career classes. Demand for those programs is up 35 percent this year, largely due to the economy, Hussey said.
At Goodwill stores, most items are less than $4 and the highest are $9.99, with a few exceptions, such as fur coats and furniture. A men's suit costs $9.99. Kids' clothes are $2.49 apiece.
Longtime customers say they've noticed bigger crowds at their favorite stores. "I think everyone's coming here," said Felicia English, 41, a 14-year Goodwill customer, examining patterned dresses at the Steele Creek Goodwill last week.
Sandy Burleyson, 44, a Rock Hill handyman and pizza deliveryman, said he furnished most of his house through Goodwill, with buys like a couch for $40 and a mattress set for $30. He shopped at the Steele Creek store wearing a polo shirt and camouflage pants from, well, you know.
"(People) are just catching on to the quality, good-priced stuff," he said. "I think gas prices will contribute to it."
A few minutes later, Rosetta Canady, 50, approached the register with daughter Luisa Myers, 19, and a full shopping cart. "I'm from New York, and I know good quality stuff," Canady proclaimed.
This day, she found plenty of it: 13 tops, three pairs of pants, two books, three pairs of shorts, a blazer, four pairs of shoes and a skirt. The total: $93.88.
With the economy and gas prices the way they are, she said, she's visiting Goodwill more. "We stopped shopping at the mall," she said.
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