Shopping second-hand is an ethical way to shop, and it has recently become more popular to do so because of Youtubers and other influencers posting about their finds shopping second-hand and “thrifting.” Here in Alliance, we have numerous ways to shop second-hand, including shopping at the Mission, Posh and the Collection Basket. These stores are community based and shopping here is a great way to shop local and give back to the community.

The Mission is a completely non-profit organization that has been operating for many years. Mission employee Vickie Weingart stated, “We have no paid employees, and other than the operation of the business, meaning the electricity, insurance, repairs and cleaning, everything goes back into the community.” It strives to accept donated clothing and household goods, recycle to others, help those in need, foster community volunteerism and respond to emergencies. 

The pricing at this second-hand store is low in order to be affordable for lower income families. Weingart explained, “The Mission provides items that people can normally not afford.” Clothing can be purchased for twenty five cents to a dollar depending on the item. Not only that, but other items such as kitchen appliances, toiletries, beds and much more can be purchased for twenty five cents to ten dollars. They have the basic necessities available for purchase but also have some higher end products like jewelry and televisions that are for sale. A variety of items are donated to the Mission throughout the year. 

Not only are the prices extremely reasonable, the Mission gives back these funds to the community and has awarded $62,935 in total grants throughout the 2021 year to many organizations such as the APS Schools Foundation, The Backpack Program, Keep Alliance Beautiful and Dobby’s Frontier town. The Mission is able to provide a large amount of monetary support to numerous businesses and organizations in our community. Purchasing from the Mission and other second-hand stores directly gives back to the Alliance community. Not only does it directly benefit Alliance, but it is also more ethical to buy clothes from second-hand stores rather than online stores like Shein. The prices at second-hand stores are cheaper and the clothes are often better quality. 

A Goodwill store was recently opened in Alliance, and many people are questioning whether this franchise would alter the business at the Mission. When asked if the Mission would be affected by this recent opening, Weingart remarked, “I do not believe so. Our [prices] are enough for people to afford what they need. We have a lot of clientele that support us and our [business] is completely non-profit and gives back everything to Alliance. Goodwill is a nation-wide organization and I think we will not be hurt at all by it.” Shopping at the Mission rather than Goodwill is not only cheaper, but is supporting our community rather than a nation-wide franchise.

Shopping ethically is becoming an easier thing to do, and by shopping second-hand locally here in Alliance, you are not only benefiting your wallet and the environment, you are also helping out the community. Shopping locally is extremely important in keeping local businesses afloat.