Brussels 5Rs Thrift Shop

The Brussels 5Rs thrift shop, a quaint little treasure shop on the main street of Brussels, just celebrated its 30th anniversary. The organization arose out of a need for reasonably-priced clothing and household goods in the village and a place for people to donate those items to keep them from going to waste. The store operates as a not-for-profit organization and several of the current board members were part of that founding committee.

Linda Garland, one of those founding members, recalls the work and perseverance that it took over the years. They have had great landlord support over the years, but it took several moves over the last 30 years before they found just the right space. 

The store is exceptionally clean and well-organized, thanks to store manager Patty VanderMeer and her team of volunteers who take great pride in their displays and outdo themselves around the holidays.

The volunteers sort and clean all of the donations that come in. Occasionally, an item will arrive that no one even knows what it is. Old tools and kitchen gadgets are particularly interesting and often take a bit of research to know what exactly they have.

Vintage dishes are one of the more popular items that they get in. Everyone loves the old patterns and remembering Grandma’s China set. Due to space restrictions, the shop doesn’t accept furniture donations.

Along with the constantly changing merchandise, the store often is home to a quilt display that is made by one or more of the volunteers and raffled off as a fundraiser. 

The volunteer-based group was hard-hit by the pandemic with the closures and lockdowns. It is now happy to be up and running as of this writing, with slightly reduced hours. You can find them on Facebook. It is open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 533 Turnberry St, Brussels.