29 Apr May 2025 at Experienced Goods

by Jennie Reichman

I recently took a Saturday off from work to spend the day with my friend Hannah.  She now works as a veterinary technician in Woodstock, VT, but back in the days of Experienced Goods at 77 Flat Street, we worked together and became friends in the chaotic but fun atmosphere of the sorting room. Hannah is now the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, so the occasional opportunity to spend a day with an adult friend doing grownup things sans sweet but needy child is a welcome respite. We did what we usually do: We went to thrift stores. Why, you may well ask, does someone who works 40 hours a week in a thrift store want to spend a day off poking around thrift stores?  I guess for the same reason customers shop at Experienced Goods on a regular basis: I love clothes, I love the adventure of searching for something amazing hidden in racks of the ordinary, and the process is calming and therapeutic. Hannah is the only person I know who has the same tolerance for thrift shopping that I do. We talk and laugh and catch up while we rifle through the racks and shelves; at some point we get hungry and have lunch somewhere interesting and delicious (Thai food this time at Tuk Tuk in Lebanon, NH), and at the end of the day we have re-cemented our friendship and maybe amassed a few unique thrifting treasures. I always bring her up to speed on what is happening at Experienced Goods, and we always marvel at how much has changed and yet how much has stayed the same: location, floor plan, volume of donations and sales, it’s all evolved over time, but the process and challenges are consistent.

Given how dramatically things seem to be changing for small businesses lately and how uncertain the future can seem,  I can’t help but think about how all of it will affect thrift stores. Honestly, I think we may be one of the businesses that continue to thrive in difficult economic times, as long as our donors continue to be generous and our customers enjoy the thrifting process and continue to choose quality second-hand goods and clothes over new. I had a conversation recently with someone about the rise of AI, artificial intelligence, in so many areas of life, and realized it’s highly unlikely that a robot would be able to do my job. When I’m sorting clothing I’m constantly making judgments and decisions: about quality, condition, stains, holes, pills, fiber content, seasonality, style, missing buttons, appropriateness (is it underwear? No thanks!) Would a robot be able to look at a vintage dress from the 1950s with a few stains but killer Audrey Hepburn elegance and think, “Yes, it’s flawed, but golly it’s beautiful and someone will love it”?  I think not. Well, maybe C3PO from Star Wars could, but he’s British and classy and thinks things through. Robots could not do any of our jobs at Experienced Goods, not with the flair and humanity we all bring to the work. From the muscle and efficiency Albert and Alessia bring to taking in donations to the kindness and cheer Elise, Emma, Karen Z and Karen D, Jackie and Mary exhibit working at the front desk, to the expertise Mark and Joan bring to sorting and pricing housewares and of course the good judgment of Karen as manager, Experienced Goods is the epitome of an old school, hands on, welcoming business. A robot-run thrift store would be, in my opinion, unpleasant and alienating at best, and probably very funny in an apocalyptic kind of way.

Speaking of funny, are you ready to see everyone’s winter-white legs when shorts weather finally arrives? Join the parade, get your shorts, tee-shirts and bathing suits at Experienced Goods before the thermometer jumps to 80. Also, don’t forget Mother’s Day is May 11! Do you have a mom who loves our store and would be thrilled with a gift certificate? Maybe a pretty piece of jewelry or a silk blouse? Pro tip: Do not buy mom a new iron, vacuum cleaner or blender unless she specifically asks for one. On that note, happy spring, get outside and dig in the dirt, and remember to wear sunscreen!