Big Reuse Plans December Debut for Bushwick Thrift Store

A low-slung brick warehouse in a busy part of Bushwick will house Big Reuse’s latest venture: A thrift store for home goods and clothing. The store at 378 Troutman Street will carry books, dishes, glasses, and other homewares.

“We take in a lot more stuff and a greater variety of stuff than most thrift stores do,” Big Reuse Executive Director Justin Green told Brownstoner. “That is something we bring, a commitment to put as much as possible into reuse, and our Gowanus store has been super busy recently. There seems to be a real surge of interest in thrifting and reusing stuff and it felt like we have the momentum to keep going forward.”

The nonprofit chose Bushwick because it is already busy with projects in the neighborhood and the area is a hub for thrifting. “There’s so much going in that neighborhood, and lots of thrift stores already,” said Green. “We think it’s a destination for thrift stores and we just wanted to be part of that.”

Big Reuse is building out the 5,000-square-foot space at 378 Troutman Street using salvage materials and is aiming for a mid-December opening. “We’re making all the shelves ourselves out of reclaimed scaffolding lumber,” said Green.

Now partitioned into three separate commercial spaces, the one-story brick building with 16-foot-high ceilings and metal roll-down gates was constructed in the 1950s as a factory, according to a 1959 certificate of occupancy. It housed a box factory and tool and hardware manufacturing in 1969, DOB records state.

Because the new store is smaller than the environmental nonprofit’s Gowanus center, it won’t carry furniture, building salvage, or used appliances. The Gowanus store will continue to sell its full range of goods, including items of interest to DIYers and old-house renovators such as old-growth lumber, stone and wood mantels, antique doors, and vintage stoves.

Big Reuse has already worked on a number of community projects in Bushwick, including tree pits, street tree care, and composting, with Clean Bushwick Initiative and local City Council members Sandy Nurse and Jennifer Gutiérrez, said Green.

The nonprofit seeks to counter climate change via its community projects and reselling items to keep them out of landfill.

“The team at our Gowanus location has been able to do incredible work keeping materials out of the landfill, and we’re looking forward to bringing this resource to a new neighborhood,” said the nonprofit in a recent email newsletter announcing the new venue.

[Photos by Susan De Vries]

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