Burlingame thrift store aims for community impact

Co-founded by Oliver Jolis and Benjamin Lambright, the new owners aim to expand the business and strengthen their community impact while upholding the 42-year legacy of the former store that served to raise funds for the Peninsula Humane Society.

“I’ve been involved in this for a while, helping raise money for animal rescues and honestly, the only thing that animal rescues really need ... is money,” Jolis said.

While they don’t want to completely change the store’s operations, still donating 10% of gross revenue to PHS/SPCA, they’ve crafted a much more curated store.

Jolis was the manager of Pick of the Litter and met Lambright when he was a customer coming in to buy records. The two have plenty of nonprofit experience — Jolis helped open similar stores in Texas and consulted for a nonprofit in Hawaii, and Lambright was involved in a Michigan animal rescue nonprofit before starting a successful literacy nonprofit, We Read Together. Lambright said Jolis is the best “front-of-the-house guy” he has ever seen.

The pair knew they could make a difference and see a ton of potential.

This is shown in their pricing, which they think is more reflective of each item’s actual pre-owned value, while still leaving plenty of room for deals and their secondhand resellers. 

“Even though it’s not private, it’s very much a business; we’re in the business to raise money for homeless animals,” Jolis said.

Since the official change of ownership in March, Treasure Paws has raised about $40,000 for PHS/SPCA in the first five months, with $70,000 projected for the year; but Lambright thinks this number can get to a quarter million if they grow to three stores.

The store’s impact can be felt in more than just dollars. Every year, the weight of 60 grand pianos worth of electronics is kept out of landfills along with 13 tons of clothing in use. It also saves several million gallons of water from clothing production. They sell more than 3,000 clothing items a month, and every week donate 30 large bags of clothing, totaling 200 pounds, to PARCA.

Thrifting is a movement and Lambright sees it as a way to change consumer culture to “consuming culture.” That, combined with Jolis’ love of animals has created a dual mission of both animal and community welfare, Lambright said. Described by Jolis as a community center and a bar without alcohol by Lambright, the idea is to create a sense of community. 

“We get so many interesting items in a thrift store like ours that we become kind of a destination,” Lambright said.

Some come straight from SFO with luggage in tow, one drove 90 minutes to donate a Gucci bag and a widow who hadn’t left her house for five years used their store as an excuse to get outside and now it’s part of her routine.

Doris, a 30 year resident of the area who has been donating to the thrift store for longer than she can remember, said she purposely comes there because the people and staff are very friendly and she can directly see her donations going to a good cause; she ended up buying more than she had donated that day.

They have 67 active volunteers from 16 to 99 years old who logged 734 volunteer hours in July. Paid employees get at least $5 above minimum and all employees, even part-time, get platinum Kaiser health care with 100% of their premiums covered.

The location is working on a clothing rack collaboration with The Jackie Speier Foundation for Women and Children, which addresses poverty, lack of housing and child care, and domestic violence; and a Sustainable Fashion Grant to offer young design students access to the store’s clothing inventory for a fashion show and sale with all profits going back to the young designers.

“Every single day I wake up and I know I am making good, positive decisions,” Lambright said. 

Treasure Paws will be celebrating their grand opening 1-3 p.m. Sept. 13 at 1127 Chula Vista Ave., Burlingame. Go to treasurepaws.org for more information.