Carol Stream Savers recycles, supports nonprofits

CAROL STREAM – If you are among the nearly 20 percent of Americans who shop at thrift stores, you may want to  visit the Carol Stream Savers store, 1175 N. Gary Ave., where gently used clothing, housewares, books, computer software, furniture and other treasures are sold.

Additionally, Savers’ shoppers are supporting the company’s partnerships with local community nonprofits.

For nearly 60 years, Savers has been in the business of recycling and supporting communities. Over the past 10 years, Savers has paid over 140 nonprofit offices more than $1.5 billion through partnerships with the more than 315 stores across the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“We are here to help do a lot of great things in the community,” Carol Stream Savers’ manager, Harold Merriweather, said.

When the Carol Stream store partnered with the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, and recently, the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, the additional funding allowed these organizations to expand programs for area residents.

“It’s been fabulous for us, allowing us to do so much more than we did,” said Epilepsy Foundation President and CEO, Kurt Florian.

Florian is especially pleased that proceeds from the partnership will allow the Epilepsy Foundation to continue to offer summer camp programs for children ages 12 and 13, and additional programs, including a new fall family camp for area families.

The Carol Stream store opened in August 2011, and since that time the Epilepsy Foundation has received $300,000, and it is expected that an additional $400,000 will be donated this year as a result of the company’s partnership model.

The partnership has nonprofits contacting people in the community for donations of reusable clothing and household items. Savers pays the nonprofits based on the number of boxes and bags of merchandise they deliver to the store. Additionally, Savers pays them for donations customers deliver directly to the stores via the Community Donation Centers.

The staff then sorts through the donations to select the highest quality reusable items before pricing and displaying them.

Merriweather noted that nonprofit partners are paid all revenue from soft good sales, even before store expenses.

“It’s a really cool business model,” said Florian about how the Savers’ partnerships work.

Looking at the company’s recycling component, Savers is one of the largest recyclers of used goods in the world, saving more than 600 million pounds of quality merchandise from landfills each year.

Shopping Savers also aids the community’s economy by providing employment. The Carol Stream store boasts 55 employees, of which 30 are full time employees with benefits.

“We are not a nonprofit, although we help nonprofits,” said Merriweather.

Founded by William (Bill) O. Ellison in 1954, the first store opened in San Francisco, Calif. To this day, Savers continues to model “Good Deeds – Great Deals”.

The Carol Stream store hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Donations will be accepted during these times as well.

“It’s nicely organized, clean, orderly and they have a lot of good stuff,” said Florian of the Carol Stream store.

With the ever changing inventory customers can come to expect many surprises.