In a pre-pandemic photo, Theresa Viva, manager at A Second Chance Thrift Shop, left, accepts donations on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, in Colonie, N.Y. Viva donates all the proceeds from the shop to the American Italian Heritage Museum next door to preserve her past and help the community. (Catherine Rafferty/Times Union)
In a pre-pandemic photo, Theresa Viva, manager at A Second Chance Thrift Shop, left, accepts donations on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, in Colonie, N.Y. Viva donates all the proceeds from the shop to the American
In a pre-pandemic photo, Theresa Viva, manager at A Second Chance Thrift Shop, left, accepts donations on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, in Colonie, N.Y. Viva donates all the proceeds from the shop to the American Italian Heritage Museum next door to preserve her past and help the community. (Catherine Rafferty/Times Union)
In a pre-pandemic photo, Theresa Viva, manager at A Second Chance Thrift Shop, left, accepts donations on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, in Colonie, N.Y. Viva donates all the proceeds from the shop to the American
ALBANY — Second Chance thrift shop at the American Italian Heritage Museum site reopened at the end of June for the first time since it shut its doors in the spring due to the novel coronavirus.
The shop attracts people who are collectors, avid thrifters and those who find themselves in need of affordable clothing, manager Theresa Viva said.
For Viva, the reopening process was nerve-racking. She purposely waited until phase four even though the shop could have opened under phase two, she said.
“I wanted people to get a little more acclimated and compliant with the restrictions at other stores hoping it would make ours run a little smoother.”
The store has a sanitizing station out front, and a sign asking people to wear masks, and they have disposable ones available for customers who come in without a mask.
It’s an all-volunteer shop and all the proceeds going to the museum, which is located behind the shop.
“I was born in Italy and so was my husband, and we came here as immigrants. My children are first-generation American,” Viva said. “It’s important for me to keep my heritage, customs and traditions alive.”
For many people right now money is tight, Viva said, and she considered this while she was reopening her shop by keeping prices low. The shop has what she calls “The $2 room.” It includes everything from dresses, tops and winter coats to shoes.
Second Chance Thrift Shop at the American Italian Heritage Museum
1227 Central Ave. Albany, N.Y.
The shop is open Tuesday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations can be dropped off any day of the week, but drop offs during hours of operations are preferred.
More info: https://americanitalianmuseum.org/
“People can come in and get five shirts for $10,” Viva said. “Where else can you get that?”
One silver lining from the virus is that it brought the shop into the “21st century,” Viva said. Now it has wifi connection that allows it to accept credit cards and process ebay sales.
“People were asking us every week (about taking cards) and we were losing sales,” Viva said. “Some people, if they wanted it badly enough – and it was the right price – they would go down to the nearest ATM and come back, but that doesn’t always happen.”
The store just got its wifi hooked up Monday, and is still setting it up card reading capabilities.
The shop also features a room called “the boutique” that offers brands typically found in department stores, but items are usually priced up to $4.
Besides just selling items that have been donated, the shop also gives them to local women’s shelters and nonprofits like Angel Gowns, which creates custom made gowns for final photos and for burial services for infants.
The shop is open Tuesday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations can be dropped off any day of the week, but drop offs during hours of operations are preferred.