Cooky's Thrift & Consignment — Local services in Town of Hempstead

Cooky is committing fraud by taking donations Cooky claims are going to someone who sells them to benefit veterans and other charities. How do I know? I was trying to sell some collectible items so I called and told her I was moving in the near future and wanted to get rid of all my antiques and collectibles because I couldn’t take them with me. I described the items to Cooky over the phone to find out if she was interested in buying them or at least looking at them. I made it clear I don’t want to bring anything to her unless she was in fact “buying” at this time. She said she was buying but she couldn’t say anything else unless I brought the items in. Not even a photo would do, she said I had to bring everything to her store.

I brought everything to her; a trunk full of collectibles any thrift shop would be happy to have on display (I worked in resale collectibles, that’s how I know the value). She barely looked at anything then declared she wasn’t buying anything “right now”, claiming she didn’t have room for anything, the store was too full. That’s within 24 hours of our phone conversation, and moments after I asked her again if she was buying.

Then she said if I wanted to donate them I could leave it all with her, she knew of someone who takes donations, sells the items at flea markets and yard sales, and gives the profits to veterans groups and other charitable organizations. She said I could give her donations and it would go to this other woman, and assured me it would not be sold in her store. She went into great detail trying to sell me on the idea. She went on and on about how people in the area knew about this woman and her good work for the veterans and other charities, and how they have a system set up so this other woman could accept donations at any time through Cooky’s Thrift Shop. The deal was, you could donate directly to her (Cooky) and she would give them to this other woman. Or, at any time of the day or night you could leave donated items at the back door of the store. I asked her several times, to be sure I wasn’t mistaken – each time she assured me the donated items went to this other woman and all profits went to charities.

I decided to take a chance and at the same time conduct an experiment. I donated the items to this mystery woman, through Cooky. Then, over the course of more than a year I left hundreds of other household items and collectibles at the back door of Cooky’s, as instructed. And for more than a year I’ve been visiting Cooky’s Thrift shop and found more than half of the items I “donated” were displayed for sale inside Cooky’s. Some of them blatantly displayed on the front step and in the window display.

There’s no mistaking it. And how she thinks she can get away with this I don’t know. Maybe she doesn’t much care if she gets caught because she doesn’t realize what she’s doing is legally considered to be fraud – taking donations under false pretenses is in fact fraud. But she’s doing it, and she does it over and over and over. Not just one item, but countless items over more than a year’s time – proven!! And that’s just my experiment. It’s very possible she’s been doing this for many years, possibly decades.

Don’t believe me? Try it yourself. Take something you don’t want or need, something decent that others will want. Have a friend bring it to Cooky – saying they heard there’s a woman that takes donations and gives her profits from sales to veterans and those in need and the item is a donation for that woman. Then, after about a week or so, go shopping at Cooky’s and look for your item. It may not be there right away (she keeps lots of things in the basement) but it will eventually turn up for sale in the store.

Oh, and don’t go there if you have asthma or any other breathing issues. Cooky chain smokes in the store all day long, even with customers inside. I think that’s illegal too - a violation of NYS law. This woman clearly thinks she can do anything she wants,...

I am writing in response to Priscilla Monroe's horrible review. First of all I work next door to Cooky and I know first hand how much she does for the veterans and for your out of luck person on the street. Donations are taken through Cooky's store and given to a contact at the VA and also a special woman who dedicates her life to raising money for the less fortunate and Sloan Kettering, by collecting donations, then either donating the items that are in good shape or holding garage sales and such to sell what she can to make monetary donations to charities. Many people come into Cooky's with things that are near and dear to them, looking for a pay out. Most of the times those things are not worth much money and not worth much to others. But the owners insist that their items are worth a fortune and are very indignant when told that just isn't the case. I watch it all day long. Cooky does not mince words and will tell you if your possessions are worth her time and yours to be taken for consignment. If the persons items are not viable enough for consignment, Cooky will explain about the donation process. Many items are left at Cooky's back door with no note of instruction every single day. All those items are inspected by the agents from charitable organizations and most times a lot of this is left behind with no contact info to return. These items are inventoried and are sold with the proceeds going Directly To Charity. Priscilla did you leave an instructional note when you left your stuff at Cooky's back door? Did you ask for a receipt for your tax purposes? I highly doubt that you did. I figure you dumped your garbage and left with the intent on causing trouble because your items were were not accepted for consignment and you took offense. Maybe instead of ragging on people who are doing something for the less fortunate of our society, you should get out there yourself and volunteer your time and effort to a charitable organization. You will be a happier person for it. You should also have had the consideration to speak to Cooky directly if you had any cares or concerns before tarnishing...

An acquaintance mentioned Cooky's Thrift & Consignment in Oceanside to me about a year ago. Since my husband and I happened to be in the area this past Saturday, we decided to stop in and check it out. Upon entering, we were greeted by Robert, who has a lively and friendly personality. We immediately hit it off. He let us know that clothing was 50% off and encouraged us to walk around, mentioning there were more items in the basement. He also said to feel free to ask if we had any questions.

Honestly, my husband and I had no intention of buying anything—we were simply there to browse. As we walked through the store, we noticed a wide variety of unique and interesting items. While some pieces caught our eye, we still weren’t planning to make any purchases. That changed when we came across a Murano glass decorative bowl and vase. The vibrant colors blended harmoniously within the transparent glass, making them truly stunning.

As we were preparing to leave, we chatted with Robert again because we genuinely enjoyed our conversations. He asked if we had seen anything we liked, and my husband mentioned the Murano glass pieces. Robert then asked my husband to bring them up to the counter, but Tyler brought them up himself. We chatted about the pieces, what we liked about them, and their uniqueness. During our conversation, we also came across a Czech Republic glass vase. While it wasn’t part of the Murano collection, it blended flawlessly with the other pieces. Its understated elegance was the perfect complement to the vibrant Murano glass.

Robert offered us a price we simply couldn’t refuse, and we left as very happy customers. We will definitely be returning! The vibe at Cooky's, and the warmth of Robert and Tyler, made for a wonderful shopping experience. Highly...