Community Against Violence Thrift Store — Attraction in Taos

I recently tried to donate an entire apartment’s worth of brand-new furniture while escaping a domestic violence situation in Dixon. I wanted to donate to this thrift store but they only accept items on specific days- Tues, Thurs, Sat 10:30am-4pm.

I planned to donate on Saturday, but facing a tight deadline and verbal abuse from the person I was staying with, he refused to transport the items to the thrift store in his truck and trailer where they were stored at the last minute, and gave me 24 hours to get them off his property.

That afternoon, I rented a U-Haul to transport everything myself. Loading my belongings on my own took well into the night and when I called on Sunday morning to plead for an exception, the two women working at the thrift store refused to help, citing being short-staffed. Despite offering to unload the items myself and asking them to contact their manager, they refused and hung up on me.

I called several churches in Española and Taos through out the day on Sunday but was t able to reach anyone. With no other option, I extended the truck rental for a second and then third day, finally dropping off my belongings at the Goodwill in Española late Monday night. My decision to not donate my belongings directly to Goodwill is a personal one, partly due to their high prices and the fact that they spend so little the proceeds helping those in need.

There were some women living in tents nearby who took bedding, clothing, toiletries, and smaller furnishings, but much of it was left behind because I couldn’t find a place to take the donations in time to return for a second trip to retrieve more items from my abuser’s home.

It was devastating to see so many high-quality, new items go to waste due to a lack of compassion and flexibility from the thrift store staff. Sometimes, policies need to make room...

Let start off saying the employee that was working the register and helping me was very nice and kind. Anyways I was interested in an item and found a note on said item(which should hav been a red flag for me) that they will sell the set as whole for $95 or will break it up for another price. Unfortunately that second price was not that legible but you’d assume it’s be cheaper after waiting in line for 15 minutes I get checked out, but the cashier is confused with label too as was I. She calls her manager who automatically knows the price of said item by itself(so I can assume he made the note) he then said to buy just that part of the set will cost $200 vs the whole set for $95. Like what kind of backwards thinking is that he says he will have a hard time selling the other half by itself so selling this half will cost twice as much the whole set? Simple solution would be put a note that states “will not break up set, price is non negotiable”. Or something along those lines instead of this mess that left both employee and customer...

I love the new store and the new way of pricing that discounts items as the weeks go by. The discounts are a good way to move merchandise. I do have to point out that $1 for a used postcard is WAY TOO MUCH! Smith's sells postcards for a quarter each. I appreciate the racks of clothes for $1 per garment. There are bargains to be had here for folks who shop often and take a good look around.

UPDATE, September 2023: This place is not as cute as it was the last time I was here in late summer 2021. They moved things around and the flow is not as good. Most shelves seemed sparsely stocked. Many things on the shelves seemed junky. Clothing racks weren't full either. What's going on here? This place used to be packed with good stuff. I was...