Thrift shop in Freeport offers clothing free of charge

Dresses, shorts, pants, purses, swimsuits and children’s clothing fill a room in Freeport United Methodist Church.

And they’re all free.

Lenora Hancock, 72, of South Buffalo launched the thrift shop at her church about three years ago.

“I feel God inspired me to do this,” she said.

A man she met through her Bible study group mentioned that it would be nice to have a community thrift shop. She was immediately inspired and asked her pastor if she could open a store in the church.

When the store first opened, she said, they charged for the clothing.

They since have decided to make everything free, though donations are welcome and benefit the church.

“Everything in this store is free,” Hancock said. “If you want to give a donation to the church, that’s up to you.”

The store, which offers clothing ranging from clothes for premature babies to plus-size options, receives a steady supply of donations. They have clothing racks with casual clothes and more formal attire, some of it new and still bearing original tags.

“When I first started, I didn’t even have a skirt hanger,” Hancock said. “We grew from very little to, like, the Lord let the flood come in.”

The store is well-staffed with an array of volunteers, who typically work one day per week.

Volunteers range in age from 10 to 92.

Ruth Donnell of Buffalo Township has been volunteering there since the store opened. At 92, she’s their oldest volunteer, and she credits activities like working there for helping her stay young.

“I think it’s important to help others,” Donnell said. “I enjoy getting to talk with people and learning a little about their lives.”

Over the years, the store has helped many customers in times of need. They’ve offered free clothing to people who have lost everything in house fires and floods, Hancock said. She said she vividly remembered one woman who had lost everything in a home fire. She came into the store, and they told her to take whatever she needed.

“She was just overwhelmed we could give her all this for nothing,” Hancock said.

They also donate some of the clothes given to them to other organizations like Saint Vincent de Paul and veterans organizations.

“We make sure the homeless are taken care of,” Hancock said.

The store is open from noon to 3 p.m. on Mondays and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. People also can drop off donations during those times.

Donations should be clean and smoke-free.

The store sometimes sees up to 20 people “on a good day,” and raises about $100 a week for the church, Hancock said.

Hancock said she worries that people don’t know the store is there, or they don’t realize everything is free.

“A lot of times, I’ll have people come in and say, ‘I didn’t even know this was here,’” she said.

“We need customers. People will not believe what a beautiful selection — every size, every color,” volunteer Sandy Powell said.

Hancock hands out flyers to first-time customers, encouraging them to invite friends and family to check out the store. Word-of-mouth advertising is the biggest way they spread the word, Hancock said.

“We’d like to have more customers, especially since everything’s free,” she said.