America’s Thrift Stores

“Founded in 1984, America’s Thrift Stores is a for-profit company that supports numerous children’s health and addiction recovery charities. America’s Thrift Stores relies on the generous donations of the local community, to collect used clothing and household items. [They] resell those items back to the community and share [their] profits with charities, providing vital funding to help them improve lives affected by substance abuse, and assist children with illnesses.”

This was a two-day Grand Opening experience in Dothan, Alabama and it was our first time working with America’s Thrift Stores. This opening was their 18th location and the first new store that had been opened since 2013. They wanted to make the grand opening weekend special, and there was quite a bit of anticipation and anxiety surrounding the event.

The store opened the day before we arrived, but we had a customer appreciation night on Friday and then a full day of hosting on Saturday. Our Founder & President, Billy Boughey, hosted outside with announcements, dance parties, raffles, and other interactive moments. Kendal, our Media Coordinator, took photos and videos, and posted real time social media both days. We utilized their Instagram and Facebook accounts for posts, and went live via Instagram stories. We also passed out giveaways, welcomed people at the door, and managed the raffle table.

Ken Sobaski, the CEO of America’s Thrift Stores, chose Elevate to make this event happen because they wanted to make sure the event was handled well. We made it our primary goal to ease tension from Ken and his team, so they could focus on other organizational details, while we focused on making the event a great experience.

America’s Thrift Stores wanted us to emphasize and effectively communicate the experience in the store. America’s Thrift Store is a brand new experience unlike anything customers have been in before. Around 10-15,000 new items hit the store each day, which means you could visit the store every day and see new items.

A closer look at Elevate’s role

Our Team consisted of:

• 1 event host: Smoothly transitioned through each element of the run-of-show, engaged customers through interactive activities like dance parties and raffle drawings, and encouraged high energy participation among attendees.
• 1 project leader: Coordinated with event organizers before the event to plan details, conducted pre-event meetings and phone calls, assisted at the event by announcing transitions and coordinating social media, managed raffle table, and helped anywhere needed.
• 1 media lead: Took photos and videos, recorded client testimonials, and ran social media throughout the event on Facebook and Instagram.

Event wins and stats, including:

The store had over 2500 attendees daily, and customers had a welcoming and enjoyable shopping experience. Crowd engagement and energy levels were high during both days, and the event was displayed in a fun and professional way on social media. Our team had the best time working alongside America’s Thrift Stores to make this Grand Opening special and memorable!