UPtown Thrift in Downtown Lodi offers discounts, hope

Across from the Lodi Transit Station on Sacramento Street, one store's mission is to improve the community by offering gently-used merchandise at affordable prices. UPtown Thrift sits adjacent to the iconic Lodi Arch, where trains trudge through town and make their presence felt with their booming horns throughout the day.

Inside, customers stream through the doors and browse through an assortment of clothing, jewelry, appliances, furniture and more.

Cory Campbell sees himself as a consultant on a board of directors for the thrift store. Dave McMinn and his wife, Laurie, and Ceasar Cerda and his wife, Mercedes, are the main directors of the Unity Project, a faith-based organization that seeks to end homelessness and encourage volunteering. They help collect donations and organize Unity Project efforts when they are not in the store.

"We serve the community and partner with it," Campbell said.

But UPtown thrift is just one part of the Unity Project's mission. For the past three years, the nonprofit ministry organization has fed the homeless in Lawrence Park. They will also host a Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 23. It will take place inside UPtown Thrift's worship room, which is towards the back of the store.

Prior to opening UPtown Thrift, the group had a thrift store out in an old brick building on Victor Road. Community Thrift was open May through September of this year before UPtown Thrift held its grand opening in October.

On its Twitter page, UPtown Thrift advertises its low prices and merchandise. The most expensive clothing inside the store is $10. There are items as low as 25 cents and all furniture is 25 percent off the marked price right now.

"Non-furniture items are never over $25," Campbell said. "They can be as little as $5 or $10."

UPtown Thrift has something for everyone. Bargain hunters can browse through sport coats that sell for $5, boots that go for $4 and books as low as a dollar each.

Dave "Too Tall" Etter bags some clothes Monday at UPtown Thrift in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

In the far left corner of the showroom, reams of fabric are available. Offered for sale by the yard, they can be used for upholstery, clothing and draperies. Campbell said that the designs and patterns may change, but the store will always have the bulk fabrics for sale.

"It's not a close-out," Campbell said. "It will be here."

They will take virtually anything and sell it. The store has everything from a PlayStation to a print copy of "Roots."

The nonprofit store is run by volunteers, and the shop also partners with WorkNet, a division of San Joaquin County's Employment and Economic Development Department.

The partnership with WorkNet enables people receiving social assistance to work in the community. While the employees are not paid, they receive compensation from the county for temporary assistance.

Under CalWORKs, the employees are required to work a certain number of hours to remain eligible. UPtown has seven participants and they work roughly 32 hours a week.

UPtown Thrift

Where: 21 S. Sacramento St.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Phone number: 390-8799.
What's for sale? Clothing, furniture, electronics, books, footwear, appliances and more.
News-Sentinel staff

"It's a win-win for both sides," said Mike Miller, deputy director of WorkNet. "UPtown gets valuable workers and they learn skills in retail trade so they can get into the private sector."

Miller said the agency conducts a work site review to ensure there is enough work for all the employees. He said there is no cap on how many people an organization can have, so long as they aren't sitting around.

"The volunteering process gets them into the mode of work," Campbell said. "It's an excellent program."

Campbell said UPtown Thrift recently applied for 501c3 status, and he expects to be granted it in the near future. He said the process takes anywhere from six weeks to four months. Once UPtown Thrift is granted 501c3 status, people who donate to the store could receive receipts that would make their offerings tax deductible.

So what dictates what is available? Supply and demand. Campbell said they cleared out a lot of their summer merchandise with the change of season, and what they have a glut of will determine what goes on sale.

Campbell summed up the Christian organization's thrift store simply.

"It's like a garage sale in a department store," he said.

Contact reporter Jordan Guinn at jordang@lodinews.com.

UPtown Thrift is located at 21 S. Sacramento St. in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

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