How To Help Your Pre-Loved Stuff Find Love Again

Some of us might be moving out of the city and cannot take all our stuff along. Some of us might have finished spring cleaning and have discovered a dozen home décor pieces that have been gathering dust for the past decade. Others might just have a bunch of toys and clothes that the kids have long outgrown. Essentially, a lot of us, at some point or the other, have a lot of stuff that is in usable condition but are not being used.

What do we do with them? The most common thing is to donate them to a charity or to the slums. Or we could drop them off at a thrift store. "But where are thrift stores in Bangalore?"

Guess what? There is one: Re-Store.

Re-Store accepts donations of stuff that are in usable condition and sells them at throwaway prices. Please note that it's not a place to fob off trash. Only donate things you'd be happy to buy yourself.

The main clientele is people from the nearby village, but a lot of people from the city drop in too.

What I love about Re-Store is that the items are not given away entirely for free. I know, it's the antithesis of charity, but there's a plus side to it. 

When items are given away for free to the needy or distributed to slums, we can't be too sure if the items will be used well or not (chances are, no). I heard of someone going to a slum to distribute old sarees, but it resulted in fights over a few sarees, dissatisfaction with colours and overall disgruntlement. But if the things are sold for even a nominal cost, only those who are even a little bit sure that they want it and will use it will buy it.

It's like the reason most entrance exams charge a nominal fee for writing them - if there wasn't, then every man and his brother, who aren't an iota serious about them, will appear for them (just because it's free) and thus there will be an abnormally large number of answer sheets to correct.  

Also, the fact that the needy aren't standing in line to receive donations, rather they're going and buying it as and when they need it, increases their dignity. Hence we rest assured that our items will be used well by another in need. 

You can send in items that are in usable condition - maybe needing minor repair at most. Western formals are not accepted. You can send them through Dunzo or other such delivery services if it is too far, but I suggest dropping them in yourself.

You never know what you find there- some people drop off fashion brands too!

The coolest part of thrift stores is that you never know what you can find there. They're worth exploring. I heard that someone celebrated a birthday by accepting donations for Re-Store instead of gifts. Cool, right?
I'm really in favour of buying second hand. It reduces waste and is easy on the planet. Best to use items until they fall apart.

Address: 4th Cross Rd, Vijayanagara, Whitefield, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560066
Phone: 098865 36240 (Call before going).

We've dealt with our stuff the zero-waste way now, and can be rest assured that they'll be used well by someone else. Mission accomplished!

They're on Facebook too: (https://www.facebook.com/Re-Store-252715648566181/)