Statements
Mission
Thriftsmart exists to provide value to customers, opportunities for employees, and benefits to charities by operating the best thrift stores in the world and promoting thrifty living - all for God's glory.
Background
The Thrift Alliance was founded by Tres Scheibe and Dick Gygi to operate retail thrift stores under the DBA of ThriftSmart to create jobs, serve low income families with jobs and an affordable shopping experience, and give 100% of the profit to four supported charities: New Hope Academy, Mercy Community Health Care, African Leadership, and The Belize Project, all charities based in the local community. ThriftSmart collects gently used donated clothing, shoes, books, and household items for resale through the retail stores. Goods that do not meet the quality standards of the store are recycled and baled to be sold to clothing brokers. Two stores were opened as ThriftSmart stores in 2005 in Franklin and Nashville. The Franklin store was closed in 2008 due to the reconstruction of Alexander Plaza and the loss of our lease. The Nashville store on Nolensville Road is the largest thrift store in Nashville. The Nolensville store is located in the largest refugee community in Nashville, and the store has become the center of the community. ThriftSmart has been recognized locally and nationally for its impact with its mission of justice and mercy to the poor. It's Founder, Dick Gygi was nominated by the Templeton Foundation and Civic Ventures as a Purpose Prize Fellow in 2007, and was chosen as one of Money Magazine's 2014 Heroes for making extraordinary strides in improving the financial well-being of others. Mayor Karl Dean honored ThriftSmart as a 'Local Environmental Hero' in 2012 for efforts in recycling, and in 2013 for Workforce Development.
Impact
Thriftsmart social impact is measured on our Core Values:1) Create Jobs: Currently have 50 employees at the Nashville location. Serve all families with an affordable shopping experience: During the past 12 months we have served approximately 200,000 families with a retail purchase transaction in our stores.3) Give 100% of the profit to the four charities we support: During FY 2023 we gave $420,000 to the Charities (New Hope Academy, Mercy Community Healthcare, The Belize Project, African Leadership, Inc,) Our goal is to increase our giving to the charities to in FY 2024. We also support local churches with Gift Cards for their benevolent funds in excess of $45,000 annually.4) We serve the neighborhoods where our stores are located, particularly in Nashville where we are in the largest refugee community in the city.
Needs
1. Collect a minimum of 140,000 pounds of clothes every month to support the Revenue goals.2. Placement of 50 Collection Bins in Nashville, and Brentwood/Franklin to support collection goals.3. Generate approximately $260,000 to pay off long term debt.4. Increase volunteer labor to 1,500 hours per month.
CEO Statement
As a Christ-centered Social Enterprise, ThriftSmart is a Kingdom Business that Works! My team works together to be the hands and feet of Jesus resembling the character of Christ, participating in God's kingdom economy every day of the week through a business that aims every element of work to the mission of justice and mercy to the poor, while generating funds for the sustainability of local charities, empowering the working poor with a great shopping experience and hiring them to serve their neighbors, selling gently used clothes that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Creating jobs, choosing to pay above minimum wage, encouraging family savings through a matching 401k account for associates and offering deep discounts for employees to purchase needed items for their families
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Public & Societal Benefit - Alliances & Advocacy |
| Secondary Category: | Employment - Job Training |
| Tertiary Category: | Religion- Related - Christianity |
Areas Served
The Nashville store is located in the Tusculum Hills neighborhood of South Nashville. Teachers say there are 25 languages in the Tusculum Hills elementary school. 4,000 refugees live within two miles of the Nolensville Road store. It is our goal to serve this neighborhood and all of South Nashville in area code 37211, which is more than 50% Latino in origin. We provide donation pickups in surrounding counties that benefit our non profit partners.
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Wilson |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Williamson |
