AIDS Healthcare to Open Thrift Store
Valley residents searching for used jeans, retro-style clothing and inexpensive household items will have a new place to browse beginning today.
Out of the Closet, a thrift store run by the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, will open a new 4,600-square-foot facility on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana, a half-block east of Reseda Boulevard.
The new store marks the second Out of the Closet to open in the Valley and 14th in Southern California, said John Nieto, general manager of thrift store chain. The first Valley store, in North Hollywood, opened in July 1996.
“This new thrift store helps us establish a presence in the West Valley area,” Nieto said. “I think it’s going to be a great location, not only for customers but as a donation base.”
The store’s inventory includes furniture, clothing, kitchenware, records and tapes, draperies and porcelain pottery, Nieto said. Proceeds from the store and other Out of the Closet facilities are used by the foundation to provide medical and hospice services for people with AIDS or HIV, he said.
“We raised almost $1 million from our stores last year, and hopefully, with the addition of the new stores we’ve opened during the past few months, we could raise close to $2 million,” Nieto said.
Since December, Out of the Closet has opened stores in Pasadena, Long Beach and Redondo Beach. The new Tarzana thrift store, at 18851 Ventura Blvd., is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
