February 9, 2007
LUCKY NO. 7
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Brooklyn, baby! |
Last month, Housing Works Thrift Shops proved the success of its social entrepreneurial model yet again when it celebrated the opening of its first store in Brooklyn, located at 122 Montague Street, in the heart of Brooklyn Heights.
The new second-hand spot brings the total number of Thrift Shops to seven. It's already poised to be one of the most successful. "In just the first three days, we've doubled in sales what the store openings brought in on 90th Street and on 10th Street in Manhattan," said Matthew Bernardo, manager of Housing Works Thrift Shops, on a recent afternoon at the bustling Brooklyn store. "The neighborhood is a great mix of high income social activists, eager to volunteer and give back to their community." Over 20 volunteers came forward in the first week of the store's opening.
Store Manager Naomi Bergknoff says the Montague Street location has been packed since it opened because it occupies an underserved niche. "There are no thrift stores in the area where the merchandise changes consistently—and, of course people are grateful not to have to trek into Manhattan to give donations," she said. Bernardo is excited to meet Brooklynites' needs. "I'm surprised at the level of name recognition we already have, but we're reaching new people as well. It's an entry for people to learn about the epidemic, and to give back."
The shop opened in record time once the interior was finished, thanks to a wave of zealous staff and volunteers. "It was amazing: We came in on Wednesday and had so many people helping out that we were able to open our doors on a Friday," said assistant manager Marly Booth-Levy,
The exposed-brick, light-filled space has the usual colorful array of Thrift Shop items—from a 19 th Century-style chaise longue to copper shoes to dishes and books—and a cozy vibe. Volunteer Nairobi Couch raved about the store's atmosphere. "Friends keep asking if I'm crazy, wanting to volunteer my time on a Saturday and I just think, Why not? I've never had more fun."
Once Bergknoff has done a little research, the Montague Street store may become the subject of even more intense local interest. "We aren't certain, but we're pretty sure that the catacombs still in tact in the basement were used in the Underground Railroad—this whole neighborhood is known to have been part of it," Bergknoff said, referring to the clandestine routes, transportation, meeting points and safe houses by which 19th-century slaves escaped to free states with the help of abolitionists.
In 2005, Housing Works moved its headquarters to Brooklyn in an effort to counter the harsh impact the pandemic has had on the borough. According to statistics the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force compiled in 2004, Brooklyn has the third largest AIDS population in the US after Manhattan and Los Angeles, with more people diagnosed with AIDS (32,937) than 45 states, and more children (705) diagnosed than 47 states.
The opening of the Brooklyn store along with the recent opening of Housing Work's Women's Transitional Housing Residence in Bed-Stuy, and the construction of a Women's Health Center in downtown Brooklyn—scheduled to open this spring—shows the agency's commitment to the borough.