NEWS FROM EXPERIENCED GOODS

FALL 2023

By Jennie Reichman

Fall arrived this year by turning the seasonal page with a flourish. One day I’m out in the garden swatting black flies and the next I am wearing a sweater and turning up the heat in the house for the first time since June. We have had jackets and sweaters out on the racks at Experienced Goods for a couple of weeks now, but they were a hard sell when the temperatures were still in the 80s. Now shoppers are coming up to the checkout desk with carts piled high with all things fleecy, puffy and woolly. Like every year, it’s fun to open boxes of fall clothes we’ve stored over the summer, see the rich colors and touch the cozy fabrics.  And can we talk about Halloween costumes? Whatever your imagination conjures up, we probably have at least a few elements that can make it a reality, and racks of costume-y clothes if you are looking for inspiration. 

The day after the autumnal equinox, a chilly, rainy fall day if there ever was one, I went to a party at a friend’s house that he dubbed Tea-quinox. It was afternoon tea for 25 or so guests, complete with scones and cakes and savory snacks and hot pots of tea to warm hands and souls. He has a lovely, spacious house, perfect for lots of conversations to bubble along between guests as we sipped and noshed. There was a fire in the woodstove keeping it toasty. At one point he made the announcement that he had pieces of paper on which we could, if we wanted, write down something we are grateful for, and on another piece of paper write a thing we want to jettison out of our lives. We could tuck the grateful thing in a pocket to appreciate later, but the thing we wanted to jettison we could put in a paper bag that he would burn in the woodstove later in the party. Goodbye, unwanted thing, carried into the autumn air on woodsmoke! That little bit of symbolic magic, along with good food and much lively conversation, made for a very rich mix. There came a point in the afternoon when I started to feel a little overwhelmed, listening and talking, holding people’s stories and telling my own, and I realized I needed to step away and make a graceful exit. I thanked my friend and drove home, grateful for quiet and cool air and gentle rain. 

At Experienced Goods, we do a lot of talking and a lot of listening. Especially for those of us who work at the front desk, encountering so many different energies and trying to meet the needs of every shopper and donor can sometimes feel overwhelming. So we’ve developed a system of working in shifts at the cash register, ensuring that nobody spends more than 2 hours at a time in the eye of the storm. You might see someone walk away from the desk and someone else take their place, or the person who’s putting clothes back on the racks or organizing housewares may jump up to the second cash register if customers are waiting in line to pay. We try to relieve the overwhelm by always having each other’s backs. 

Once upon a time we had only one cash register and one person who worked in that position all day. How we did that for so long without major meltdowns I’ll never know, but for everyone’s sake, I’m grateful we do our best to share the load and know when we need to take a break. Enjoy this lovely season, and remember, if you are cold, come to Experience Goods and buy a sweater! 

NEWS FROM EXPERIENCED GOODS JANUARY 2023

By Jennie Reichman

When I moved to the Brattleboro area in 1994, I did what I always do when getting to know a new place: I sought out the best grocery stores, bookstores and, most importantly, thrift stores.  Experienced Goods was a cute little shop off the Harmony Parking Lot then, two rooms about the size of my kitchen and living room, staffed by a couple of friendly employees and few volunteers.  Transactions were conducted with a cash box and a receipt pad.  It was a gem, a place to return to once or twice a week to sift through the jumble of wonderful secondhand goodies. There were other thrift stores, of course, a couple in Brattleboro, some in Keene NH, bigger ones in Northampton and Hadley, MA, but Experienced Goods was the one I looked forward to visiting the most.

Small as it was, I always found something delightful to buy, and the staff had a talent for making the tiny space look artful and inviting. There was always a lot of laughter and conversation coming from the work area; the volunteers were friendly and seemed dedicated and to enjoy what they were doing.  There was an atmosphere that the bigger, more industrial thrift stores didn’t have, despite their greater volume of product.  Experienced Goods felt like a place where the staff was emotionally invested in the business, cared about it like one might care about one’s home.  Shoppers were treated like friends; donations were accepted cheerfully and gratefully. In the years since then, many of which I have spent as an employee, that sense of ownership and caring has only grown with the business.  I’ve written in this space about the many transitions and expansions Experienced Goods has gone through since its beginning, but loyalty to the store and its philosophy and dedication to raising money for Brattleboro Area Hospice has remained our driving force.

Thrift store shopping options have recently expanded in Brattleboro, and many shoppers and donors have asked us if we are concerned that this will negatively impact our business.  Our shoppers and donors showed us tremendous support over the last year as we planned and implemented the move to our new location, resulting in one of our best years ever.  We feel that this loyalty and support will continue as we welcome a new thrift store to town, simply because we offer a unique, inviting shopping and donating experience.  If you are worried for us, turn that worry into more shopping at and donating to Experienced Goods! We continue to thrive because you support us.  Without you we would not exist, and we are continuously humbled by the love this community shows us through shopping and donating, allowing Brattleboro Area Hospice to continue in its mission.

Different thrift stores offer different experiences and serve the community in different ways.  Over and over, shoppers and donors have shown us through word and action that what we bring to the community is unique and treasured, and that there is no other thrift store quite like Experienced Goods.  Like at that tiny shop I discovered when I first moved here, you are likely to hear laughter coming from the back room, see staff members setting up displays and tidying racks and shelves, donors pulling up with carloads of donations and being greeted with a smile and a helping hand.  Now we have cash registers and a big, beautiful space to fill with endless delightful treasures. Most importantly, we still have you, shoppers and donors, who keep us happily humming along.  Thank you for a fantastic 2022, and here’s to the potential for an even better 2023, learning from the past, making room for the new, appreciating the here and now.