Buckhead thrift store offers chance to 'serve by shopping'

ATLANTA - We’re about to let you in on a little secret.

There’s a place in Buckhead filled with designer clothes and merchandise priced at about a third or less of what you’d expect to pay.

What is this shoppers’ paradise? Buckhead THRIFTique.

"We are located in the heart of Buckhead on Miami Circle; we literally are super-hidden," says director of retail operations Michelle Krompegal. "You have to really know where you're going to find us."

Buckhead THRIFTique is a boutique-style thrift store, specializing in upscale clothing and home decor.  During our recent visit, we spotted Michael Kors and Betsy Johnson shoes, a St. John quilted handbag for $100, and a brand-new wedding dress with original tags priced at $132. Everything inside the recently-expanded store is donated, and all sales benefit its parent organization, Buckhead Christian Ministry.

"Buckhead Christian Ministry is an ecumenical ministry of about three dozen churches across the metro Atlanta region," explains president and CEO Keeva Kase. "Over the past 34 years, BCM has evolved into an organization with three chief programs."

Those programs encompass financial education, supportive housing, and an emergency assistance program which Kase says has been especially crucial during the past year.

"If you have had a job loss, if you've lost a breadwinner in the family, if you've had a medical emergency or … a flat tire on the road of life, we will intervene in that and pay your rent directly to the landlord to keep you from being evicted," says Kase. "BCM, through the coronavirus pandemic, has spent about $3 million on eviction prevention alone."  

But spending that kind of money means having that kind of money to spend in the first place, and that’s where Buckhead THRIFTique comes in; staffers say the store brings in about $15,000 a month for Buckhead Christian ministry.

But with so much need in the community, they say it’s time to let more people in on this well-kept secret.

"There are opportunities all around us to serve," says Kase.  "You can even serve by shopping."

Buckhead THRIFTique is located at 800 Miami Circle, Suite 160, in Buckhead; current hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays.  Click here for more information on shopping and donating.

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