Bargains on a budget

By HEIDI GAISER/The Daily Inter Lake

Though thrift-store shopping might be the only kind of shopping some people can afford, there are many more people for whom it's a bit of an adventure.

Once a week, Dawn Werner of Columbia Falls makes a day of it " tyically with friends, she'll cover a circuit of the valley's thrift stores. She finds plenty of bargains on high-quality merchandise and clothing, some even new with tags still attached, as well as cheap work shirts for her job at a delicatessen and play outfits for her children's sports activities.

"It's fun to come here and find things," she said while shopping at the Salvation Army store in Kalispell on Thursday. Earlier she had been to Kalispell's Flathead Industries store. "It's like a hobby."

Shoppers such as Werner, who don't hit the thrift stores purely for financial reasons, make it difficult to discern whether or not the economic downturn is affecting local thrift stores.

"There are as many reasons for people to shop in thrift stores as there are people who come here," said Jim Watson, manager of Flathead Industrie's three valley stores.

"It's not usually desperation on anyone's part. People might come in and purchase something to sell at a higher price on eBay. People might be looking for items for their antique store. And I don't know if there's a medical term, but some people just get hooked on thrifting."

More than economic forces, managers attribute an estimated doubling of sales at Flathead Industries in Kalispell to its March move from its old site on Fourth Avenue West North into the vacated Sportsman and Ski Haus building near the corner of Main and Idaho streets.

The increased traffic is more than welcome, since thrift-store profits are crucial to Flathead Industries maintaining its mission of offering housing and employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.

Most other thrift stores are holding steady, although in the fall, business always picks up as people hunt for winter outerwear.

Rodd Hartz, manager of the Salvation Army Thrift Store on the south end of Kalispell's Main Street, said the most economically connected trend he's seen was most likely last May and June, when the price of gasoline started rising dramatically.

"People who used to come in three or four days each week were only coming in once or twice a week," Hartz said. He theorized that gas prices kept away quite a few of the frequent customers, many who come from places such as Libby, Eureka and Thompson Falls to shop.

Things picked up again in July and "October is looking pretty good," he said, with a $6,000 day on Saturday, Oct. 18, being an especially good indicator. (October 2007 was the store's all-time record month with $130,000 in sales.)

Donations are down a little, he said, which could be a result of the economy.

"It might mean people are deciding to keep stuff for another year and use it instead of buying brand new," Hartz said.

The store is still doing well enough to continue doubling the size of the tool and sporting-goods room in the building, which previously was a Rosauers grocery store.

Hartz expects a big rush the first week of November, when the store displays Christmas items for the first time this year.

"That's when things get really busy," he said. "We have a semi full of those that we save up during the year."

Some of the valley's smaller thrift stores, such as the Klothes Kloset in Columbia Falls and Kalispell Community Thrift, are not seeing drastic changes in shopping patterns, though Klothes Kloset volunteer Marion Fisher said she has seen a number of new faces beyond the regulars lately.

Regular customers seem to be the lifeblood of local thrift stores.

"It becomes almost habit forming," Watson said of the shoppers he has come to know at Flathead Industries stores. "If you go to a store like Wal-Mart or Target, you're going to see the same things on the shelves for weeks. Here you can't count on our inventory to be the same from one hour to the next. Some of our customers are not only regular on a daily basis, they might also come in the morning and afternoon."

Fresh inventory requires a steady supply of donations, and Watson estimates that donations have tripled since the Kalispell store's move. The Whitefish and Columbia Falls branches of Flathead Industries have continued to see increased sales as well.

The Soroptimist Thrift Haus in Whitefish has seen a substantial increase in business during the past year and is adding more store hours starting in November to accommodate shoppers.

What could be a dilemma for thrift stores in tough times is that while the need for a cut-rate source of consumer goods could grow, donations likely could decrease. Watson is grateful that hasn't happened.

"What continues to amaze me is the generosity level of what comes in the back door," Watson said. "It throws a wrench into "Hey, everyone's having hard times," because they're still giving. You think you'd see a drop in one and an increase in demand in the other."

For shoppers such as Anita Mumby of Kalispell, who was spending part of Thursday morning at the Salvation Army store, thrift-store shopping is part of a lifestyle " not a reaction to what's happening on Wall Street.

"Every day off, I come in just for fun," she said. "It's relaxing " kind of like treasure hunting. I can buy well-made American clothing for a great price."

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4431 or by e-mail at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com