The thrill of the hunt for a bargain begins at Common Threads

By Laura Briedis

Everyone loves a bargain, right? The thrill of the hunt, the unexpected discovery of a designer handbag—with the tags still on—at the bottom of a pile at a thrift store or a funky home accessory that complements your décor that you can’t find online. But what you will love even more about Common Threads when shopping here is that you are helping other people.

Store profits are dedicated to employment, work training and urban renewal work by local faith-based nonprofit Building Hope in the City (BHITC).

The growing brand, which opened its first store in Fairview Park in 2016, has opened a new location in Brook Park this month, providing a superior thrift experience in a modern retail environment.

Common Threads is “upscale thrift with a retail feel,” says Jeff Stredney, director of social enterprise for BHITC. “We appeal to department store and mall shoppers because they can find the same brands here but for much better deals. We have high-quality adult and children’s clothing, home accessories, housewares, toys, books, jewelry and collectibles—all at bargain prices.”

While already at discount prices, additional daily deals offer deep markdowns, including 50 percent off all apparel on Thursdays and 25 percent off storewide for seniors, teachers, veterans and active military members on Mondays.

Common Threads is part of a growing national trend of “social enterprises” or commercial entities that also make a social impact. The store functions as a workforce training center for at-risk youths, adults in transition, and refugees and immigrants who may not have work experience.

“A good job is essential to a stable life and we want to focus not on profit but on what training and experiences our people will receive,” BHITC Executive Director Brian Upton says, noting that they employ 40 people between the two stores.

Common Threads gets its clothing and houseware donations primarily from individual donors, but also partner organizations and churches. “Everything you donate is tax deductible,” says Brian. “The drop-off process is simple and contactless. Just drive up to the back bay doors at the new Brook Park location and our staff will unload your donations. You can donate anytime during our store hours.”

When donating items, you can be assured they will be resold, recycled or repurposed. Common Threads responsibly recycles any textiles that are unusable, as well as donates clothing to local shelters.

“Thrifting appeals to all generations and all income levels because of the social impact,” comments Jeff. “The clothing industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world. By recycling and repurposing clothing, we are helping the environment.”

Over the past four years, Common Threads has helped keep 500,000 pounds of textiles out of landfills, which is 250 tons per year.

All of the profits from Common Threads stay local, so whether you donate items or shop at the store you are making an impact right here in Northeast Ohio.

“In a time when, unfortunately, many people are still unemployed and some businesses are closing, we’re grateful to have the opportunity to not only retain the existing jobs of Common Threads in Fairview Park, but also to create additional jobs with our Brook Park location,” says Jeff. “More so, we’re grateful to continue to provide competitive wages to our workers, as well as low-cost options on thousands of everyday items to the public as many recover financially.”

Common Threads is located at 5793 Smith Road in the Brookgate Plaza in Brook Park. Store hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Visit CommonThreadsThrift.com or call 216-862-0749 for more information.