Ann Arbor’s Downtown Kiwanis Club has been “getting to give” since holding its first thrift sale in 1927. Over the years, the club has raised more than $5.75 million by collecting donations of used clothing, housewares and other goods for resale. The club’s foundation distributes the net proceeds to fund charitable projects serving the local community and Washtenaw County.
The service club held its first sales in vacant stores, and then at the former National Guard Armory from 1948 to 1968. After buying the building on the corner of S. First and W. Washington streets in 1965, they began holding intermittent Saturday sales in 1968. Since 1990, shoppers have been finding bargains there from 9 a.m. to noon, most Saturdays.
While the group has traditionally used word-of-mouth and advertising for its sales, Kathy Griswold, the club’s sales policy co-chair, says they’ve now moved online as well. “It’s given us a more effective way to spread the word about our sales and need for donations,” she says, “and an opportunity to grow our customer base and embrace younger people who may not know about us.”
Ann Mattson, immediate past president, says that older members who initially balked at the use of new media have been won over by how “successfully promoting and selling merchandise on eBay has helped us maximize our profits so we can give back more to the community.”
Members affectionately refer to Carol Kamm, the owner of Encore Online Resale, as “our eBay angel.” She has been visiting weekly since April 2008, working with staff and members stocking the floor to glean treasures for eBay listings. She estimates that the group has received over $30,000 from its eBay sales. A Samuel Marti brass cloisonné mercury clock sold to a Hong Kong buyer for $1,592, and a rare Polish-crafted antique silver-plate casket-style box went to a young Polish immigrant in Windsor for $1,280.
Griswold assures sale aficionados that the pickings are still good. “We don’t put everything on eBay; we often leave things on the floor for a week or two,” she explains. “If they don’t sell, we may have Carol list them on eBay where they will receive recognition by a wider pool of collectors and shoppers.”
The Kiwanians have also started placing photos and listings on craigslist—search Kiwanis at annarbor.craigslist.org under For Sale—for those wishing to examine and buy merchandise in advance, and then pick up their selections on Monday, Thursday, or Saturday mornings.
Other new initiatives include a revamped website (www.a2kiwanis.org), with a link to the Kiwanis Thrift Sale site, and occasional warehouse sales and a recent auction at an offsite storage facility. One recent Saturday, the club ran a Kiwanis Buck coupon program, giving buyers a $1 voucher for a future purchase when they showed their receipt or paid sales sticker before exiting the building. The program served not only as a sales incentive, but also as a theft deterrent—encouraging attendees to come for the deals, rather than the steals.
