Major reuse plans December debut for Bushwick Thrift Store

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

“We take a lot more stuff and a wider variety of stuff than most thrift stores,” Justin Green, executive director of Big Reuse, told Brownstoner. “That’s something we bring, a commitment to reusing as much as possible, and our Gowanus store has been very busy lately. There seems to be a real wave of interest in recycling and reusing things and it felt like we had the momentum to continue.”

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

Big Reuse is building out the 5,000-square-foot space at 378 Troutman Street using salvage materials and is targeting a mid-December opening. “We make all the planks ourselves from reclaimed scaffolding wood,” says Green.

Now divided into three separate commercial spaces, the one-story brick building, with 16-foot ceilings and metal roll-up doors, was built as a factory in the 1950s, according to a 1959 certificate of occupancy. It housed a box factory and tool and hardware production in 1969, according to DOB ​​records.

Because the new store is smaller than the environmental nonprofit’s Gowanus center, it will not carry furniture, demolition waste or used equipment. The Gowanus store will continue to sell its full range, including items of interest to do-it-yourselfers and renovators of old homes, such as old wood, stone and wood mantels, antique doors and vintage stoves.

Major reuse has already worked on a number of community projects in Bushwick, including tree pits, street tree care and composting Clean Bushwick Initiative and local council members Sandy Nurse and Jennifer Gutiérrez, Green said.

The non-profit organization works to combat climate change through its community projects and by reselling items to prevent them from ending up in landfill.

“The team at our Gowanus location has done a fantastic job keeping materials out of the landfill, and we look forward to bringing this resource to a new neighborhood,” the nonprofit said in a recent email newsletter announcing the new location.

[Photos by Susan De Vries]

Related stories

Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner further X And Instagramand like us further Facebook.

---