A pop-up thrift store is opening in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.
Billed as Detroit’s first worker-owned cooperative thrift store, Public Thrift is celebrating its arrival with a grand opening celebration from 4-9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24.
Public Thrift opens in a retail space in The Corner development, located on the site of the old Tiger Stadium, as part of the Build Institute’s Pilot program.
The pop-up location runs Thursdays through Sundays from Jan. 24 through March 31.
A permanent location is planned on the city’s east side for summer 2021.
Public Thrift is the work of Julian Trombley, Desmond Burkett, and Margo Dalal, the current co-owners of the cooperative.
For them, Public Thrift is much more than your average secondhand store. The trio plans a worker-owned cooperative, one that provides a living wage and benefits. Financial and in-kind donation programs will support local community organizations.
Items carried include clothing, housewares, furniture, art, and more.
"We are reimagining what a thrift store can be," Burkett says.
"We are a locally benefiting, locally owned thrift store that both creates an affordable, accessible, and environmentally conscious place to shop."
Selected to take part in Build’s Pilot program, Public Thrift gains access to a white-boxed retail space without having to make the financial commitment of signing a lease somewhere, allowing them to test their ideas with little to no risk.
Public Thrift has also launched a crowdfunding campaign on the Michigan-based Patronicity platform. A gift card pre-sale will help open the store.
Public Thrift is at 1620 Michigan Ave., Ste. 120, in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.
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