The Willow Glen Resident

Secondhand store gets a first-class renovation

Thrift Box gains second story and more space

By Michelle Ku

The empty storefront at 1362 Lincoln Ave. might lead people to believe that The Thrift Box is closing down, but in reality the store is being upgraded.

"We've been around for a long time; we're not going anywhere," said Kim Haney, president of the San Jose Auxiliary to Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, the volunteer organization that owns and operates the store. The Thrift Box is a secondhand store that donates its proceeds to the children's hospital.

The Thrift Box has been closed since June 22 for a $500,000 renovation and remodeling to give the store a fresher look and add a second level.

The Thrift Box will be closed throughout July while construction crews work on the second floor. The store is scheduled to re-open in August as work on the upstairs continues. "Our anticipation is that the store will only be closed for four to six weeks and that there will be a big party to celebrate the completion of the renovation in January," Haney said.

Part of the new second-floor mezzanine will be used for work and storage space the store staff needs to put together its annual Pumpkin Patch. Up until now, The Thrift Box has been using donated warehouse space for this purpose.

The Thrift Box will also use the second floor for the sorting and storing of goods for the store.

Other improvements are being made to the existing building. The Thrift Box used to be a theater, and people making donations had to walk down a flight of stairs and then up another to reach the back room and drop off items. To make it easier on donors, the staircase is being filled in with concrete to create direct access to the store's back room from the street.

The interior of the building will also undergo some remodeling. "I think we are finally going to fully utilize that wonderful building," Haney said.

Funding for the renovation came primarily from two grants, one for $225,000 and one for $167,300, from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, but the San Jose Auxiliary raised $87,000 from its members.

The auxiliary received donations from 96 percent of its active members and 85 percent of its sustaining members. "The most impressive thing was the support of the membership. The amount didn't matter as much as the participation," Haney said.

The rest of the money for the remodeling was granted by local foundations.

For 10 years, the San Jose Auxiliary has discussed the idea of renovating the building, but the decision was not made to begin fundraising and to go ahead with the plan until January of last year.

The age of the 60-year-old building became a factor when The Thrift Box began to have some electrical problems with breakers being tripped.

Also, the tripling of donations in the last five years created a need for The Thrift Box to have more space. "We're bulging at the seams and are very fortunate we can put a second floor in," Haney said.

The San Jose Auxiliary is one of eight area auxiliaries benefiting the children's hospital.

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