What if your next shopping trip could save you money while helping save an animal's life?

Guess what. Have you ever been down Notre Dame?(...) Specifically 685 Notre Dame. Anyone know what's there? I'll give you a couple seconds.

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That's right. It's the Pet Save thrift store and we have in the studio Carrie from the Pet Save thrift store. Good to see you. Good to see you. Thanks for having me. Okay, no problem. Glad you could make it.(...) The thrift store. Tell us a little bit about it and what do they do? So we support... We're part of Pet Save. We support the rescue. Pet Save, we're not government funded or subsidized. Okay. So in order to operate at the capacity that we do, we need guaranteed(...) monthly daily income. Okay. So the donations just aren't enough. Okay. Again, like at the capacity that we're running at. So the thrift store allows a daily income. Okay. And it goes back into the rescue. So once the overhead is paid, the rent is paid, all the money that we bring in, like I said, goes back into the bills that the rescue accumulates. So vet bills, food bills,(...) you know, shelter maintenance, the rescue itself. Everything for the animals? Everything for the animals. That's right. Okay. How long has the thrift store been at that location? I think we're going on six years. Already? Yeah. Six years already. I know it goes by really fast. We moved in during COVID. Perfect. Yes. So good times. Yeah, good times. So six years and going and I know I've been in there to see it and there's three floors. You've got the intake downstairs where stuff gets sorted. Yeah. Our downstairs is our work area. So that's where when you donate stuff, all the intake goes downstairs and it's processed. So whether it's clothing or household items, books, anything that you bring in starts in the basement. Okay. And then once it goes from there, it gets looked at, researched, priced,(...) you know, verified that it is a sellable item.(...) Then it goes to our main floor and top floor levels. So before we get there,(...) to make sure it's a sellable item, you want donations that are obviously(...) can be(...) moved on. That's right. So in sellable condition, you know, good, clean working condition. We can't take anything that's, you know, clothing wise, we can't take anything that's ripped, stained, button missing, zippers that don't work. Nobody, people aren't going to buy that. They don't want to purchase that. You know, dishes,(...) you know, chipped,(...) excess wear and tear on their pots and pans. You know, people don't, it's not sellable for us. So unfortunately that becomes garbage. Discarded. Yeah, discarded. And that's becoming an issue as well. So it's important that they, for all of the donations, that it's in good condition. Good condition. Okay. And that would help save the work that's done filtering out. 100%.(...) You know, we are volunteer based organizations. So we have a lot of people that are giving their time and it's, you've seen the downstairs. I've seen it. It's quite an operation down there. Yeah. The volume. It's like a little factory. It's a little factory. Yes.

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And it just goes to show the generosity of the community that wants to support the animals. It's their way of helping by donating. But it just helps the process go a little bit easier and quicker when we're not sorting through bags of(...) garbage. Stuff that you can't actually use. Can't actually use. Okay. So after an item gets(...) priced, for example, where does it go from there? So it goes into a designated area. So we have, you know, people have commented how organized we are and we're really proud of that. So it goes where it should. Okay. So we have the first level.(...) You've seen our clothing. Clothing area. So that's all divided by,(...) you know, whether it's a dress or whether it's jeans or scrubs or anything like that. And then it's divided again into size wear. So make it nice and organized for the customer.(...) Household items will go to our top floor. So whether it's dish sets, kitchen items, home decor items, that all gets filtered out on our top floor. Okay. And then do you have stuff that's seasonal? Seasonal? Yep. 100%. When we moved into our new building,(...) you know, there was quite a bit of space. So we thought, well, let's have seasonal all year round. Oh yeah. So you can buy Christmas stuff in July? Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So if you're looking. We often do Christmas in July sales.

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Promotions? Yeah. Promotions like that. We try and do end of season as well for our winter clothes, summer clothes.(...) Divided into seasons that way. So Halloween costumes. Yes. Very popular right now. Really? That's right. So we have,(...) along with our Christmas section, we do have our Halloween section out all year round. So people are into that and they're coming in. That's what they're buying right now. Costumes. We can only put out what we get donated. Yep. But we do have two sections, divided into adult sections, adult costumes, and then the kids costumes. And then of course you can always make a costume out of normal. No, people do that all the time. Yes. Yeah. They're coming in and they're looking for, they're repurposing(...) pieces of clothing that would fit perfectly into their costume. Okay. Interesting. That's good. Okay.

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What about(...) electronics? Is there a lot of electronics? We do get a lot of electronics.

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Old and what's old is new again, right? Right. We're getting, I haven't seen them too often, but VCRs are coming back. Oh really?

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Record players are coming back. Homes are super popular right now. They're coming back into the mix. The LP45s? Absolutely. It's funny people, we have our regulars that come in and they go straight to our record section. Right away? Looking for the new stock. Okay. But the record players, VCRs,(...) we got some 8-tracks in. Really? Last month, yes, that was fun. Oh, just for anyone who doesn't know what an 8-track is, it's like a cassette, but it was for, I know them as being in the cars. Yes. Yeah, a lot bigger. Yeah. A lot bigger. Yeah. Kind of like a Nintendo cartridge or something. Yes, that's what it definitely looks like. They were bigger. I don't remember too much about what it looks like, but I remember seeing them. Yeah, they're fun. Yeah, they're good. So for the electronics, it's always good to make sure that they're of course working. Yes, please, please. Because we do test, we test for power.

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DVDs, we have a little setup downstairs. I don't know if you saw that section,(...) but we test the electronics as far as we can. So we try and make sure it plays the movie, DVDs, VCRs.(...) We try and make sure that the radios work. Speakers are a little bit harder. Yeah. But yeah, we do ask for good working condition. Okay. And then as for the customers that come in. Yeah.(...) Is there a lot of regulars, a lot of new faces? Both. Both? Yes, both. A really good mix. A lot of people,(...) they say they've driven by and, "Oh, I didn't realize. Oh, I didn't realize. This was a store store." Okay. You know, I thought in that compliment. Yeah.

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People think it's, because they see pets, they think it's a pet supply store. Okay. So they don't realize that. It's a lot more than that. We have a pet section, but a lot more than that. Yeah, I remember seeing leashes, harnesses, anything pet related? Pet related, yeah. It goes in its own little section. Okay. So how important is it to, you know, the PetSafe thrift store is a local business? Absolutely. How important is it for people when they're looking for stuff to come to, you know, PetSafe local thrift store versus going to somewhere else? I always say come here first. Yeah? What you're looking for. Come here first. And we've had a lot of people say, "I was looking for and I found it." Oh, that's a good thing. Yes, it's really good. You just never know what you're going to find in the store. Yeah. And I always say drop in first. If we don't have it, then you can outsource it somewhere else. Right. We have something for everybody. Okay. So when, again, if someone's looking for something, how often should they drop in to see if their item is there? Yeah, we try and do weekly(...) merchandising.(...) And again, it all depends on how many volunteers I have in that particular day or that particular week, but we try and do it twice a week. Okay. Just because of the overflow that's happening in our basement, we try and get things out as reasonably as possible. Yeah.(...) But a couple of our regular volunteers are clued in to what days are the new days. Oh, really? Yes, it's kind of fun because you see them and you know that they ... I know that they know it's time. Yeah? Yes, all the good stuff is coming up in the bins. So for people that want to volunteer and help out, what's the best way for them to reach out to you? Give me a call at the store or just drop by and see me ask for carry and we can get you started. Even if it's once a week, once a month, we would love the help. Every hour of help(...) really helps go ... It goes a long way. Absolutely. It goes a long way. Okay. It goes a long way. Now I noticed when walking in in the front of the store, there was some things around the front. Are those from local vendors? Yes. We partnered up with some really great local businesses(...) and we've displayed them in the front so every vendor and volunteer, we have a volunteer that makes a lot of our craft items and we've partnered up with Old Soul Soap Company, Joyful Home, Rustic Rebel Sourdough, Proby Princess, just to name a few. Okay. Is there anyone else that you need to name so you don't forget? I know. I'm trying to think. Now that you're on the spot. Yes, now that I'm on the spot, Old Soul Soap,(...) Joyful Home, Perogy Princess, Rustic Rebel,

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yeah.(...) Okay. Covers. Oh, and homemade cookies, homemade baking company. Ah, okay. Yes. They're new for us. They're all local sub-bree companies? All local sub-bree companies, yeah. Right on. No, that's good. Supporting local businesses, especially nowadays. Well, especially nowadays and it's nice to have local business supporting a local rescue, supporting a local business. Right. And all of these people are donating back into the rescue. We're not just carrying their items. Right. But they're also giving a portion back to PetSafe. When can people drop off items that can be, you know, promoted and get to the shelves? When it could, what are the windows of operation when they can do that? So donations, ideally, and only because we have extra people Monday to Friday between 10 and 4. Yeah. We do accept on the weekend if it's a smaller. Smaller quantities? Yeah, smaller quantities. Okay.

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Any last words before wrapping up? No, we just really appreciate the support. We've(...) become quite(...) an operation from where we started. You know, six years ago, we were in a little space, a third of the space that we have now down the street. Yeah. And it just, we were outgrowing it quite quickly. And that's just, I think, you know, the support that we were getting from the community. You know, people always say when they drop off, you know, I hope you can get some money for this. This is my way of helping. Yeah. You know, I can't volunteer,(...) you know, I can't spend time at the shelter, but I want to donate this and hopefully you can get, you can help some animals with it. Is there a new store cat? Yes. There is? Yes. What's the store cat's name? Nelly. Nelly. And what kind of cat is Nelly? So Nelly is a diluted torti. So she's, the tortoise shell was the black and the orange and she is muted. So her fur almost looks like a gray and a pink. Okay. Yeah. It's really neat. You got to come meet her. And has she been doing her job? Yes. Nelly is keeping us on her toes. She's very friendly. She's very curious. Oh.

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She's, she's young. She's only six years old. Okay. So she is. She rescued? Yes. She came from the shelter. Okay. Yeah. The ladies at the shelter picked her out. Selected her? Selected her. She would be the perfect store cat. Okay. She, she's on special food. Why? She has colitis. Colitis. Yeah. So intestinal bowel issues. Okay. And that's possible in cats and dogs. So(...) yeah. So she's on special food to help, help with that. Yep. And she doesn't really get along with other cats. So poor Nelly was in a room all by herself at the shelter. So(...) they thought that she would make the perfect fit and she's settling in quite well. She's keeping us on her toes. So she's got the room of the whole place to keep it. The whole place. Absolutely. Wherever she wants. And she's discovering she got in the ceiling. Oh really? Yeah. A couple weeks ago. Yeah. She went.

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Yeah. So rescue mission and food. She's checking out everything to make sure everything's okay. Up to Nelly standards. Absolutely. Nelly approved. Yes. Okay. She has big pods to fill but.(...) She'll, she'll do it. Yeah. She'll do it. Okay. Carrie. Thanks for coming in. Thank you. I appreciate it. And don't forget. 685 Notre Dame. Yes.

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Petsave thrift store. Ready for drop offs but more importantly ready for you to. Yes. Come visit.

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