The Turnover Shop, a thrift and consignment store in Wilton Center, has been riding a wave of post-pandemic trends taking the store to new heights.
In 2023, the Turnover Shop generated over $215,000 in profits — all donated to local non-profit organizations. Wilton PTA groups and Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Fairfield County are perennial beneficiaries, but in recent years, a number of other Wilton-based non-profits and charities have also received sizable donations from the shop.
GOOD Morning Wilton reached out to Sharon Sobel, president of the Turnover Shop, for insights on what’s happening behind the scenes.
A Shop with History
The shop began nearly 80 years ago as an exchange for children’s winter outerwear and boots. It has always been located in Wilton Center, and was one of the original tenants in the building at 98 Old Ridgefield Rd., below the Village Market. Over the years, the shop has evolved with a much wider array of merchandise.
“I will confess, it sometimes surprises me when people say, ‘I’ve been living in town for [many] years and I didn’t know you were there’,” said Sobel, who discovered the shop within days of moving to Wilton in 1985.
“The shop was already well established when I became a volunteer,” she continued. In 1991, she became the shop’s president. (She also holds a PhD in English literature and is an English professor at the University of Connecticut.)
“We’ve expanded greatly,” Sobel said, noting that the shop added two adjoining spaces in the building, which allowed more items and larger furniture pieces.
Today, the shop includes apparel and shoes for men, women and children, along with housewares, games, books, jewelry, art, furniture, and seasonal and holiday items.
One thing that has never changed: the organization is run entirely by volunteers (with the exception of a paid accountant and cleaning services, Sobel noted). In fact, there are now over 100 active volunteers, whom Sobel describes as “very loyal.”
“Some people have been working in the shop longer than I have,” she said.
Recent Trends
Like other retail businesses, the Turnover Shop — or simply “the Turnover” as Sobel often refers to it — was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even after it reopened, many volunteers and shoppers were slow to come back, but the shop still found ways to respond to shifts in residents’ needs.
“The pandemic meant that every family in town needed multiple desks. We couldn’t keep a desk in for more than a day before they were sold,” she said.
An influx of new residents, often coming from smaller homes or apartments, created even more demand.
Sobel noted that the Turnover Shop was ideal for many who sought “temporary” furnishings or decor.
“A lot of customers came in and said, we just moved into a house and we’re not even quite sure what we’re going to do yet, but we do need rugs, tables, chairs, [etc.],” Sobel said. “Now there’s some things that we see coming back, that were purchased during the pandemic.”
Sustainability
For residents who have embraced the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra, the Turnover Shop is perfectly positioned. It’s a place where they can donate (or consign) items they no longer want, but don’t wish to throw away; it’s also a place to pick up items they want, without purchasing them new.
Sobel recently participated in a panel discussion, sponsored by Wilton Go Green, about sustainability in clothing.
“I would argue that the Turnover Shop has been interested in sustainable clothing and recycled clothing since its inception. I mean, that was the whole point, and still is,” she said.
The difference today is that reducing or reusing is seen as a fashionable choice or badge of honor, and not just a practical or economic choice.
Perhaps in earlier times, Sobel said, someone would not want to admit purchasing from a thrift store, but today they would do so proudly.
Sobel says the Turnover Shop is thriving despite the rise in online selling platforms and social media tools such as Facebook Marketplace for tag sales or giveaways.
“We are very much aware of all that networking. And yet, I think because our own sales have gone up so much, we’re not really feeling a dent,” she said.
Still, she hopes Wilton residents who donate items to non-local organizations or do their own tag sales might reconsider and choose the Turnover Shop.
“You know that your things are going to directly benefit the [Wilton] community, and that everyone [at the Turnover Shop] is a volunteer and serving the community,” she said.
“Community is the key word”
“We’re mandated to serve the health and education needs of the community,” Sobel explained, with Wilton PTAs and Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Fairfield County as the two primary recipients of the shop’s profits.
“Through the years, we’ve added to that roster,” Sobel explained. “We evaluate the different organizations to get support from us.”
She cited the Connecticut Humane Society as one example.
“Last year when we learned that the Humane Society bought a property in [North Wilton] on Route 7 and is building a huge facility there. We now give them a donation as well to support that,” she said.
The Turnover Shop also became a member of the Cornerstone Society for Wilton Library‘s endowment fund.
She noted that a number of organizations — church groups, sports teams, theater groups, and others — use the Turnover Shop to support their own fundraising. If the group sets up an account, anyone who consigns an item can designate the earnings to go to that account.
Sobel says that’s a great incentive.
“What it does is encourage people who might not otherwise know what to do with their stuff,” she said. “For some organizations, that can be a meaningful amount of money.”
Sobel pointed out that the shop is “entirely reliant” on donors (or consignors) to provide inventory and customers to make purchases.
“I’m happy to say there is no shortage of either,” she said.
Sobel speaks with great pride about the Turnover Shop’s positive impact on the Wilton community, but she speaks in equally glowing terms about another community: the scores of loyal volunteers within the Turnover Shop, who experience a deep sense of purpose and belonging at the shop.
“I think it’s the community that draws us in,” she said. “Every volunteer knows that she can come to Turnover at any time, keep herself busy, even if she’s not working a shift that day… of course there’s always people to talk to. And that has been comfort to a lot of people… There’s a closeness, there’s also a lot of shared joy, and a lot of friendships have emerged.”
“Community I think is the key word,” Sobel emphasized.
She also praises the 14 volunteers who currently serve with her on the board of directors as a dedicated and dynamic group whose diverse backgrounds and skill sets have helped the shop’s success.
Canoe Frame? Why Not?
Sobel chuckled as she recalled entering the store one day to find a canoe frame being sold as a home decor piece.
“You never know what you’re going to find there,” Sobel said. “There’s always things that are unexpected. It’s so serendipitous. People come in and they don’t know what they’re going to walk out with.”
“With every season, whatever is coming up… we already have the Valentine’s Day stuff out. We’ll have St. Patrick’s Day and then on to Easter and Passover. I think we sold more Hanukkah menorahs this year than any other time. Everyone comes in. As I say, it’s the infinite variety, it’s the spice of life.”
Sobel was optimistic for the shop’s next chapter.
“We have every reason to be enthusiastic and excited. Last year we signed a 10-year lease. We’re feeling good about the future.”
Details about how to donate or consign items are posted on the Turnover Shop’s website, along with a list of items the shop cannot accept. Information about volunteering is also posted on the shop’s website.