Only suckers pay retail, or so the saying goes. Judging by the crowd at the Brown Elephant resale store on an August Saturday afternoon many Chicago shoppers are in the know. And it was coming in as fast as it was going out; in a one-hour period more than 20 bags and boxes were dropped off at the front counter. Employees and volunteers did their best to keep up with the rush, hurriedly twisting the dials on price guns as they prepped the castaways of American consumers for a second life in a new home.
The store has pricing guidelines (standard shoes are $5; a normal belt is $4; T-shirts are $3), but with the quirkier items (space heaters, fondue sets, barbecue forks) it’s a judgment call. Employees play Roman emperor, setting prices and occasionally giving the thumbs-down, relegating undesirables to the trash or to the recycling bin.
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The store has been part of the community for 20 years, moving to bigger spaces nearly every five years, and as it has expanded so has its donor and customer base, said McGuire. “People who shop and donate here cross a lot of boundaries, economic and cultural.”
Occasionally donations lean toward the macabre, and since every sale at the Brown Elephant means more money for the clinic, McGuire occasionally faces a tough decision. “Look at this,” he said with a frown, uncovering a folded square of worn red cloth he has stashed beside his desk. It was a gigantic World War II-era swastika flag. “I certainly do not feel comfortable putting this on the floor. And if I burn it, do I just make the others in existence more valuable? Maybe I’ll contact someone in the community who deals with war memorabilia. I don’t know.” He leaned back in his office chair, putting his hands behind his head.
And Doug Spradlin, a store employee and frequent patron, said everything in his apartment is from the Brown Elephant. The item he cherishes most is a full-length beaver fur coat that he bought for $300. “Her name is Olivia,” he said. “And she’s beautiful.”
