Continued Thanks to All Our Donors

The Magic Hat Thrift Shop Board of Directors would like to thank all those who have contributed to our success this past year. As we reflect on the year and think about the state of our economy, we feel very blessed to be able to say that, due to the generosity of all who have made donations, our business has been better than ever. We thank all who patronize our shop and tell their friends.

It is so inspiring to us that many people volunteer their time to benefit the schools for their children’s sake. All proceeds from the Magic Hat Thrift Shop go to the Marblehead PTOs so their children’s educations may be enriched. 

Lastly, we would like to ask those of you who have never visited our shop to please stop by. You may drop off your donations (which are tax deductible if you itemize your taxes) during hours of operation. We are open Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. 

As you prepare for the holidays, you may feel the need to de-clutter your house. Pack up a bag or a box and bring it to “The Hat” — your donations will find another home and the monies collected will help the schools’ PTOs.

Happy holidays!

Magic Hat Thrift Shop Board of Directors

Newsworthy: Old is the new ‘new’: Thrift, consignment stores thrive

From The Marblehead Reporter by Nikki Gamer

Marblehead – Looking for a discounted Coach handbag, or how about a Chanel coat, or some inexpensively priced Tiffany jewelry? With retail sales the weakest they’ve been in 35 years and the economy in a recession, consumers, including those in Marblehead and Swampscott, are turning to alternative sources to shop for bargains this holiday season.

Ursula Anderson, who runs the Magic Hat Thrift Shop at Veterans Middle School in Marblehead, a non-profit operation that raises funds for local schools’ PTOs, said there has been a slow and steady increase in customers lately.

(Photo by Nikki Gamer; perry Ellis women’s suit, $21)

“I would say that probably around two months ago, we actually saw a change, numbers wise,” she said, adding that the numbers have also increased because of the store’s expanded hours. The hot items that are selling the fastest include women and children’s clothing, as well as home goods. “Anytime furniture comes in, it’s gone within a week…You can get a great chair here for $30, so why not?”

On a recent shopping trip at the Magic Hat, Swampscott resident Kristen Dishman, a mother of three, said she has been buying more thrift clothes this year and recently purchased a couple of shirts for her daughters’ play. She has also been shopping around for ski coats for the winter. In fact, she’s even trying to open a thrift store in Swampscott, modeled after Magic Hat.

“I came in here shopping for things for my daughter’s ballet school, and I thought, ‘Why don’t we have this in our town?’” Dishman said as she looked around the store.

Yet while consumer numbers are on the rise at Magic Hat, Anderson said donations of clothing and other items to the shop have been “spotty,” adding that people tend to give in waves. Still, the store is not wanting for merchandise, with shoppers seeming to find what they wanted during a recent visit.

“A cashmere sweater went today as a gift,” Anderson said. “It will be interesting to see if the numbers stay up after Christmas.”

Thrift stores are not the only places consumers are turning to for their shopping needs.

Local consignment stores are also seeing an increase in business.
“A lot more people are consigning, and a lot more people who I’ve never seen before are coming in to shop,” said Angela Spaulding, a sales associate at Marblehead-based Treasure Chest Resale Shop.

Unlike thrift stores, consignment boutiques buy clothes from sellers, and offer higher-end, new and used designer items at a discounted price.

Those who work at Rags to Riches, a consignment store located next to Treasure Chest, echoed Spaulding’s experiences.

“We’re so busy lately,” said Kelley Malone, who manages the Pleasant Street store in the afternoons.

Designer jeans seem to be the hot items, along with most other women’s clothing. The store is selling a black, knee-length Chanel coat for $300, which was originally purchased for $3,000.

While Tiffany jewelry lines the store’s cases, evening dresses sparkle in the racks.

“We’re booked up with people bringing clothes in,” Malone said. “It seems like people are trying to make extra money for the holidays.”

Rags to Riches owner Siobhan Phelan has been in consignment for 15 years, and said the poor economy is definitely a boon for her business.

“This time of year is busy for us anyway, because people wear more clothes in the winter,” she said.

But she added that the economic climate has caused those who would normally shop at high-end stores like Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom to turn to her store instead.

“My phone rings off the hook from the time I open to the time I leave,” Phelan said.

Her store only books by appointment, meaning those who want to sell their items need to call in advance.

“I have four appointments a day, and I put out more than 100 pieces of clothing,” she said.

But the economy is negatively affecting her regulars.

“It affects people who shop in our shop every single day,” Phelan said. “They can’t even afford to come in here anymore.”

Newsworthy! Magic Hat Thrift Shop hits new high in fall

From the Marblehead Reporter:
Marblehead – In its latest and largest donation to Marblehead parent-teacher organizations of the town’s six schools, the Magic Hat Thrift Shop will soon award $29,000, the organization announced recently.

The “green” thrift shop was established and incorporated in 2005 and to date has contributed over $95,000 to the schools for programs such as Rebel Shakespeare, storytellers, Tanglewood Marionettes, class trips, books and many other resources schools cannot afford in their budgets.

The little shop is located under the gym in the Marblehead Veterans Middle School. It prospers due to volunteers’ hard work and generous donations of clothing and house wares from many folks in town.

If you have not yet visited the shop, you are invited to do so Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

“Feel free to bring your donations (which are tax deductible if you itemize your taxes) and take a tour of the shop — you may find a treasure for yourself,” organizers suggested.