You never know what you’ll find at Nu2u!

Thrift shops always have been popular because of the delightful “finds” shoppers can discover in those resale shops, everything from brand new merchandise to collectibles from times gone by. Once, a mysterious donor left outside the shop’s back door during the night a high quality meat grinder of German manufacture that turned out to be worth thousands of dollars! Other customers have dedicated themselves to thrift shopping because they appreciate all efforts to recycle usable goods, which keeps trash from filling up the landfills. Most thrift shops provide financial support to nonprofit agencies such as Together We Cope, which makes this shopping option attractive to still other customers.

Furniture and housewares are always big sellers at Nu2u, appealing to college students setting up their first apartments or families getting re-established after a crisis. Sometimes you need a small piece, like a table or lamp, and don’t want to spend a lot of money. Other times people prefer gently used furniture for basement or family room spaces that get a lot of traffic. “No point in buying a new sofa just yet,” said one mom with teen-aged children whose friends love to gather at her home. Another shopper was delighted to find assorted pieces of dishes matching her own set which had suffered some losses over the years. “What are the odds I’d find exact replacements for my dinnerware,” she marveled as she scoured the housewares section of Nu2u. Many young people appreciate the “retro” look of outdated clothing items donated to the shop, loving the faux fur trimmed coats or ladies’ hats with feathers. These are the kinds of donations that come in sometimes when an elderly person passes away, leaving a house filled with decades of memories and possessions. Often, their adult children will donate everything in the home to Nu2u as they seek to wrap up their parent’s financial affairs.    

Nu2u supports Together We Cope’s mission of assisting families in temporary crisis, and that includes anything from housing to furniture to food and clothing. Donations of gently used clothing and housewares are vital to keeping Nu2u stocked, both for families in need who are being aided by TWC and for customers whose purchases support the agency’s programs. Men’s and women’s clothing donations are always welcome, especially to support parents returning to the workplace who no longer have a suitable working wardrobe. Nu2u accepts donation of shoes and purses that are gently used, as well as coats and jackets. One staffer recalls the effort to provide a complete outfit for a man who lost his job but had an interview for a new position. “We found slacks, jacket, shirt and tie,” the staffer recalled, “but we just couldn’t find a pair of shoes for this gentleman. Then I realized he wore the same size shoe as my husband, so that evening I asked him to donate a pair of his shoes to this client. He agreed, and they must have been lucky shoes because our client got the job!”