Journey Home, a regional nonprofit based in West Hartford, is raising funds, has the support of a match, and hopes to open a thrift store by the end of the year.

By Ronni Newton

Journey Home is on a journey to find a home where they can launch a social enterprise business – Home for Good – that will provide future income for the West Hartford-based regional nonprofit as well as expand opportunities for members of the community to donate furniture and household items that will in turn be sold at affordable prices.

“We’re really excited about it,” said Sara Salomons Wilson, Journey Home’s deputy director. They’re hoping to find 4,000 to 6,000 square feet of retail space, preferably in West Hartford where their volunteer base is located, and ideally near their existing space at 595 New Park Avenue.

“We have this really robust, comprehensive business plan. We are going to create a social enterprise fund that’s going to sustain Journey Home,” Wilson said. The nonprofit organization, which was founded in 2007, is committed to ending homelessness in the Capital Region and provides a wide range of resources, many through partnerships with various social service agencies.

Journey Home merged its operations with A Hand Up in 2019, taking over existing warehouse space at 635 New Park Avenue in West Hartford as well as a truck used to pick up and drop off donated items to furnish their clients’ newly-secured homes. After dealing with a series of unresolved leaks in that warehouse that led to significant mold and water damage to donated goods, they were able to secure larger space at 595 New Park last August. There they operate what Wilson referred to as “the only free furniture bank of this type in Connecticut,” where their clients – individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness – can pick out beds, dressers, couches, chairs, tables, appliances, dishes, linens, and other items they need for daily life.

“I had such an ‘aha moment’ last summer,” Wilson said.

Some of the furniture and other items are dropped off at the New Park Avenue site, and volunteers also do pick-ups of donations throughout the area. Some of what’s donated, or what people want to donate, can’t really be used for clients, she said, “but sometimes it’s really good, and really valuable.”

There are decorative items such as artwork, plastic plants, antiques, and items people may not realize are high value, said Wilson, pointing out a Stickley chair. They are often asked about – but have not been able to accept – large dining room tables, sofas longer than 80 inches, sleepers, futons, recliners, desks, anything with a glass top, outdoor furniture, or large rugs. “My thought was [the thrift store] can be a great place for young people looking to furnish their first place,” she said, but there’s a broad demographic that she believes would find it appealing, including those who value sustainability.

The 595 New Park Avenue space is stocked with donated furniture that turns over quickly, said Warehouse Operations Specialist Thomas Fischer, a former client and success story who previously lived in a shelter and was assisted by his now-employer.

They accept a broader variety of items than many people realize, and items don’t have to be new. They clean donated linens in a washer-dryer donated by West Avon Congregational Church, and have someone who cleans upholstery as well.

They do accept gently-used mattresses, and also have a stock of new mattresses purchased through a relationship with Mattress Firm thanks to a donor that gave $20,000 to help with this critical need. With the donation, they were able to purchase 90 mattress sets – twin-, full-, and queen-sized.

They also get a lot of cookware as well as small kitchen appliances. “A lot of places don’t take them. We plug it in, and if it works we give it away. If not we recycle it,” Fischer said. With a background in auto and HVAC repair, he is often able to fix items as well and has a small workshop area at the New Park Avenue site.

Donor drop-off times are Tuesday and Thursday, from noon to 2 p.m., but people also reach out if they need to come at a different time. “Clients make appointments,” Wilson said, and Fischer helps them “shop,” color-tagging items to ensure that they are spoken for.

“They get to shop. It makes this a personal experience,” Fischer said. Clients can take the items home themselves if they are able, or Journey Home can schedule a delivery with the crew of volunteers that also does the pick-ups.

Other than Fischer, the operation is all volunteer-run. Volunteers built the shelves, and keep items organized.

Journey Home is generally able to accommodate five or six clients per week at the furniture bank, but Wilson said there are about 60 households on a waitlist. They now have three trucks and could do more if they had enough volunteers, but need a driver and a total of at least three or four people as a crew to handle pick-ups and deliveries.

Wilson is excited that what was initially an “aha moment” has come this far.

Journey Home hosted an initial launch event for the social enterprise thrift store in June, where they announced that the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving had chosen the organization as one of four beneficiaries each eligible for a $30,000 match toward start-up capital. About 50 people attended, Wilson said, and they raised $15,000 of the $30,000 needed within that first week. Journey Home hopes to raise a total of $176,000 in start-up capital in the next few months.

They will host a lunch and learn at noon on Wednesday, July 23 via Zoom, where additional details about the social enterprise plans will be shared. A 30-minute presentation will be followed by a session where they will welcome “opinions, questions, and insights.” Registration is available here.

“We hope to find donors interested in investing in the future of this program,” Wilson said. “The hope is that we earn enough revenue through the enterprise to create a sustainable operation. This makes logical sense as our mission.”

The furniture bank – which grew out of the original operation of A Hand Up – costs about $350,000 annually to operate, Wilson said. That includes salaries, rent, utilities, and gas and insurance for the trucks. Although other parts of Journey Home’s operations are eligible for grants, there are few funding opportunities for this aspect of their work.

Journey Home is a lean operation, prioritizing its spending on its clients. Their office space is in West Hartford, leased from St. James’s Episcopal Church on Farmington Avenue. “We’re an $8 million agency operating out of church school classrooms,” Wilson said.

With Home for Good, they are hoping not only to create a revenue stream through the thrift store, but also an outlet for volunteers and a community. She envisions do-it-yourself nights where people get together at the thrift store to paint a chair or other items.

Wilson hopes to identify a space for the thrift store by late summer or early fall, and open by the beginning of December.

Her mind still abuzz, Wilson added, “And if all goes well, maybe we can expand to do a clean-out company.”

More information about Home for Good can be found here.

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