'Neat Repeats' Sells Clothes for Less, for Charities

Author: Jasmine Johnson

Over the summer, I spent some of my Wednesday afternoons helping out at a little store on a little side street in downtown Middlebury. The physical smallness and obscurity of the place is deceptive of the great impact its had on Addison county. Neat Repeats is a consignment store that has donated over half a million dollars to local charities in its decade of operation.
The name says a lot about this store buried in a small lane off College Street: Neat Repeats has a variety of clothing in a good range of sizes. The quaint store also carries other items – everything from kitchenware to electronics to fashion accessories and shoes. All the items they sell, most of which are second hand, are in fine condition and are very reasonably priced.
There is much to satisfy the shopper who wants the essential daily wear – Neat Repeats always has many high quality tops and bottoms for men and women. However, the adventurous shopper will also enjoy sorting through the racks to find that totally "out-there" piece of clothing that would probably not be available in regular retail outlets. And the best part is that it is cheap, or at least much cheaper than it would be elsewhere. When frugality is inspiring your fashion sense, Neat Repeats is the best place to go.
A friend and I took the "$20 Test" when we popped down there sometime last week. Between the both of us, we managed to figure out two complete outfits that were actually kind of chic. We found a short, gray, linen Rafaella skirt ($7.50) that looked like it could be both dressed up and dressed down. Then we found a stringy, gold-hued April Cornell top ($7) that seemed rather nice for a nice evening out. We could even afford a nice pair of gold dangling earrings ($1).
We teamed the skirt up with an unbranded white. long-sleeve woolen turtleneck ($7) and a cute vest (Chio Petite, $6) for a more formal look. Without the vest, it would be a nice outfit to wear to class on a warmer day.
Friends Kathy Caswell and Linda Waterman are co-directors of this store. When they started it in the early 1990s, they asked their friends to come help out. Caswell had asked Ginny Bronson from Shoreham, Vt to help out the first day she visited the store, eight years ago. Bronson has been involved ever since, and has convinced her neighbor – Collie Bentley – to come and volunteer too. That's how it was for most volunteers – friends persuaded friends to come on down for a good cause.
The atmosphere in the back room is therefore casual and good-humored. This is why the store can withstand being run solely on volunteerism.
This thrift store donated a total of $90,777 last year to local charities and individuals who needed the money. The beneficiaries include the Middlebury Fire Department, Elderly Services, Vergennes Area Youth Wrestling, Vermont Adaptive Ski Program, Addison Repertory Theatre, Meals on Wheels and other local programs and organizations.
The grants are distributed in an egalitarian process: all volunteers congregate monthly to review requests. Voting is on a one-per-person basis, including the directors.
In our increasing consciousness of the degradation of the environment and conspicuous consumption, thrift stores like Neat Repeats are a move in the right direction. Donators get a tax-write-off as well as the option of donating to their favorite charity.
Neat Repeats currently has their fall collection on display, so I would strongly reccomend stopping by.