Nearly New Shop provides low

Gail Holleran spent hours reaching up to strip away old wallpaper, brushing paint on walls and decorating the interior of the Nearly New Shop in Binghamton.

The lifelong Binghamton native said she didn’t mind all the hard work she put in.

“We are helping our community and helping people to have a little better life and making things easier for them,” she said.

Holleran is the co-chair of the shop’s committee along with Michelle O’Loughlin of Binghamton. The shop sells used clothing that is deliberately priced low to help people in need. Run by the Ladies of Charity, the shop has been operating in various locations around Binghamton since 1969.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the shop closed its doors at its former location at 100 Main St., Binghamton. The shop reopened last year at a new location: 331 Main St. on the city’s West Side, Holleran said.

Turning a vacant storefront into the Nearly New Shop wasn’t an easy task, Holleran said. Wallpaper had to be stripped off walls. Every wall needed to be repainted. Clothing racks had to be carried in.

“It needed a lot of work,” said Holleran, who spent many days helping to get the building in shape.

She still spends a lot of time in the shop along with about 25 volunteers who sort donations, hang clothes, run the cash register and do countless other tasks.

All the racks, hangars and other accessories for the store were donated from the former BonTon store in Johnson City, Holleran said.

All clothing is donated, O’Loughlin said. Anything the shop cannot use is donated to local churches and other charitable organizations.

“One way or the other, everything is used somehow,” she said.

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Inside the shop are racks of blouses, pants and dresses. There are sections available for men, women and children. Two dressing rooms are available for people to try on clothes.

Prices are a bargain. One man recently came to the shop and walked away with a nearly new suit for $2, Holleran said.

The shop holds special sales such as Dollar Days, when every item of clothing is $1 except for shoes, jewelry and handbags. One woman recently shopped during Dollar Days and took home eight dresses for a total of $8, Holleran said.

“Even when we aren’t doing sales, our prices are very nominal,” Holleran said.

This time of year, many families with children stop by the shop to do their back-to-school shopping, Holleran said.

Other shoppers include senior citizens and Binghamton University students who live off campus near the shop. One young woman bought a dressy outfit that she wears when giving class presentations, Holleran said.

Most shoppers are struggling to make ends meet. But seeing the shoppers walk away with bargains and smiles on their faces is what keeps O’Loughlin coming back to volunteer, she said.

“I enjoy seeing the people that come in,” she said. “There’s a sense that you’re doing good and giving back to the community.”

Home and hometown: Binghamton

Family: Husband, Mark; two grown children and five grandchildren

Career: Retired teacher, school administrator and education director

Home and hometown: Binghamton

Family: Husband, Brian; two grown children and five grandchildren

Career: Retired cardiac ultrasound technician from United Health Services

The Nearly New Shop is located at 331 Main St. on Binghamton’s West Side. The store is open from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.

How to Help: The shop welcomes donations of clean, gently used clothing but is especially in need of children’s fall and winter clothes. Donations may be brought to the shop during business hours or placed on the back porch if the shop is closed.

Do you have an idea for an upcoming Giving Back column? Send an email to [email protected].