By Ellen Spitaleri
Shopping at the Radical Abundance Thrift Shop is a win-win opportunity: shoppers can purchase gently used clothing for pay-as-you-will prices, and the money supports an often-overlooked community.
The store opened in July 2023 with a mission to support the BIPOC, POC, fat, disabled and LGBTQIA2S+ communities. It is only open noon-4 pm on Sundays.
The thrift store is an offshoot of the nonprofit organization Radical Abundance that was founded in 2020 with the goal of “trying to help a community that does not usually get a lot of help; everyone on our Board is part of that community,” said Sami Ebner, Board member and treasurer. All the clothes in the shop are organized by size, not gender, so that when members of the trans community come in, they will feel safe, said Ebner, who uses they/them pronouns.
Proceeds from the thrift shop help provide support to businesses and practitioners, who will then offer free massages to the BIPOC community and free electrolysis to the trans femme folks, Ebner added. “We had to set up a special place for the hair removal, and Laine Celedon of Celedon Electrolysis gave us two spots a month,” they noted.
The nonprofit came about when a group of “queers, allies, Gen X and millennials who were weary of the way the world is moving” came together, said Nocti Webster, Board president. “Some were practitioners, and others were those who struggled to receive bodywork, and some were those with generous hearts who wanted to be able to bring this care to all,” said Webster, who uses they/them pronouns.
“Our goal from the beginning was always to help the most vulnerable communities that are often overworked and underpaid to be able to receive care that helps them feel good in their bodies,” they added. “Sami really got the ball rolling on everything as far as the shop goes by saying if places like Goodwill can use a donations-based shop to keep them running, why can’t we?”
Something that is part of the organization’s mission statement is to provide trauma-informed care to those who need it. “Everyone is going through something, and when you work on the body at times, emotions get released that you didn’t know you were holding in. Being a practitioner that knows how to work through that with a patient is very important,” Webster said.
The nonprofit also offers financial support for education and training to fuel the growth of a more inclusive, diverse and trauma-informed population of wellness practitioners and the creation of safer wellness spaces. Part of that education is helping people to be “mindful about their language and teaching people about pronouns,” Ebner said. “The better you can educate yourself to never make judgements, the better you can serve people,” they added.
In the year that the Radical Abundance Thrift Shop has been open, it has grown and so has the Board of Directors, Ebner said, adding that the Board has added six new members, including one who specializes in social media. The shop itself has grown, Ebner said, adding that they started with only three racks, but just recently moved into a larger space at the same location.
Volunteers have been an integral part of the shop’s success, they said, adding that the long-range goal is to get grants to pay volunteers. For Ebner, the most interesting part about the shop is watching people in the marginalized and trans communities come in and be thankful for the space, and watching their confidence grow as they feel comfortable shopping in a safe environment.
Looking toward the future, Ebner noted that “we need volunteers, we need more people to go to the Radical Abundance website and reach out for care and we need more practitioners in town to connect with us.” And, “we are always looking for people who want to donate money; it is tax deductible.”
Radical Abundance Thrift Shop
2410 SE 10th Ave. (inside Be Well Holistic Health)
Radicalabundancepdx.org
Radical Abundance Board members Nagisa Day and Sami Ebner check out donated clothing outside the thrift shop. Photo by Ellen Spitaleri.
