We’re reopening Tuesday, July 7

Please read below about the changes and guidelines we have instituted for shopping at Experienced Goods.

Change. We’ve been through a lot of it in the last few months. We’ve changed how we interact, how we work, how we shop, how we go to school: Virtually everything about our lives that we took for granted before the Covid-19 pandemic has been subject to adjustment, overhaul or outright elimination. It has required that we be adaptable, resilient, patient, compassionate. The temporary closure of many of Brattleboro’s most frequented businesses has taken a toll not just on the businesses themselves, but on the people who patronize them regularly. One of those businesses is Experienced Goods, the thrift store for Brattleboro Area Hospice.

Judging by the comments on our Facebook page, we have been greatly missed by a lot of people. Now, as quarantine orders are easing up a bit and businesses are cautiously reopening, the staff of Experienced Goods has been working toward creating a safe, healthy environment for shoppers, donors and employees when we reopen on July 7. That safe environment is our top priority, and we need the help of everyone who enters the store to keep it that way. We know the changes we are making will feel strange and uncomfortable in many ways, but we truly have the best interests of our community in mind as we implement them. By supporting us as we make these changes, you are supporting the mission of Brattleboro Area Hospice and paving the way for the return of the thrift store we all love. To that end, here are a few guidelines to help you navigate these changes:

1. We ask all people who enter the store to follow standard pandemic protocols. These include: Wearing a mask, using hand sanitizer (provided at the door) and maintaining a 6 ft. distance between you and other shoppers.
2. We have reconfigured the floorplan of the store to accommodate the 6 ft. distancing protocol. Racks are further apart and less tightly packed with clothing, and the cash register desk has been moved so shoppers can maintain distance between themselves while waiting to pay. Please be respectful of this distancing, and follow staff instructions regarding this and other protocols.
3. There will no longer be dressing rooms for trying on clothing.
4. No items will be returnable once purchased, including electronics.
5. No items will be held or set aside for any length of time.
6. There will no longer be a fill-a-bag for $1 option at the 25-cent area or in the children’s toy area.
7. The side door entrance will remain locked from the outside. Please enter through the front (Flat St.) door. Customers may exit through the side door, however.
8. Store hours will be Tuesday – Saturday, from 10 am – 4 pm. Staff will be at the store an hour before opening and an hour after closing to clean surfaces and prepare for the next day.

We have also significantly changed our method of receiving and processing donations. No donations will be taken at the retail location for the foreseeable future. Rather, we are taking donations at 80 Flat St., the C.F. Church building. Donation hours are Tuesdays ONLY, from 11 am – 3 pm. Please do not bring donations to the retail location, and do not leave donations at either location during non-donation hours. When you pull your car into the parking lot at the donation location, please stay with your car, wear a mask, and a staff member will come out to assist you. We are currently not taking furniture or children’s toys or games. For the safety of all who come in contact with them, donations will be warehoused at 80 Flat St. for 2 weeks before being processed for sale.

Our staff numbers are reduced and our storage space is limited, so it is vitally important that donors bring us items that are in SELLABLE condition and require a minimum of processing. An item may seem useable, but if it is stained, dirty, torn, chipped, broken, missing parts, or otherwise compromised, we cannot sell it and must find a way to dispose of it. Since our mission is to raise money for Brattleboro Area Hospice, you are helping us fulfill that mission by bringing us only sellable items. There are other local resources for recycling goods that are not in sellable condition, and we ask that you make use of those resources. Please take these guidelines into consideration and understand that if we decline something you are donating, we are keeping our mission and our limitations in mind.

As always, we are incredibly grateful for the loyalty and support of our customers and donors. Experienced Goods has been an integral part of the Brattleboro community for 30 years; we are not just a unique thrift store, we are a multifaceted business that enriches the community in many ways. That would not be possible without your ongoing patronage. So, thank you from the bottoms of our hearts, and we will see you when we open!