POLAND, Ohio — There was a time when Barth Farms was the go-to spot for Thanksgiving turkeys. Locals lined up in search of the biggest birds they could find to set their tables with for making holiday feasts and family traditions.
Those days have passed, but now, the former turkey processing facility is home to Thrift and Thrive, a cozy resale shop filled with a mix of new and gently used donated goods, where that spirit of community and giving lives on all year long. Shelves and displays fill rooms that once served as industrial freezers, with sloped floors and old drains still hinting at the building’s past. The store recently celebrated its second anniversary from July 24-26.
“What does it mean to me? It’s been a hell of a lot of work,” said founder Jody Cercone.
The idea behind Thrift and Thrive dates back years ago, when Cercone’s teenage daughter needed to raise $1,500 for a mission trip. To help, Cercone organized a family sale in a rented building. The small fundraiser evolved into years of church-run sales known as Missions Marketplace in Coitsville, raising more than $150,000 and sending hundreds of people out into the world to do good work. Eventually, Cercone took the idea into his own hands and Thrift and Thrive was born.
Today, the shop is more than just a place to find secondhand goods. Each month, a different local organization is chosen to receive a portion of the store’s profits, and donations customers make at checkout help keep that momentum going. The items on the shelves may be gently used, but together they create what Cercone calls “a steady stream” of community support.
Everything on the shelves is donated, and donations come in five days a week — Tuesday through Saturday between 8 a.m. and noon.
Thrift and Thrive doesn’t consign items. Everything is given freely by the community and turned back to them as affordable goods for others, with purchases supporting local causes.
Worthy cause
Just recently, Thrift and Thrive helped send three children to Camp Frederick, a retreat center in Columbiana County offering a weeklong program for kids ages 8 to 15 who have experienced the loss of a family member.
The camp, called Good Grief, is free for all attendees and covers a broad definition of loss, including children who’ve lost parents, siblings or grandparents, as well as those affected by incarceration, family separation or foster care.
In an interview, camp director Matt Miller said the camp blends therapeutic activities, the development of coping skills and the fun of traditional camp experiences.
“So many of these kids get thrown into adult roles in their families as leadership is removed. And so this is an opportunity for them to be a kid again and have a great week again.”
In addition to fun and connection, the camp gives kids tools to navigate their grief and build community with others who’ve had similar experiences.
“They can kind of realize that they’re not alone and develop some coping skills, kind of make a memory… where they can, you know, go to when they’re having a hard time (and) remember camp as a kind of a mountaintop experience, that they have what it takes to make it.”
Miller said Thrift and Thrive’s support nearly doubled this second year, contributing around $1,200, a donation that helps keep the program accessible and impactful.
“I think their model of giving a portion of their proceeds to local nonprofits is really cool,” he said. “As far as Thrift and Thrive, we’re fans of the organization. They’ve got a really cool store, a unique model going. I can’t say enough good about them.”
Each month, the shop chooses a new organization to support. July’s recipient is Youngstown Blue Coats, a nonprofit that distributes warm coats, hats, gloves, sleeping bags, boots, tents, tarps and socks directly to the homeless across northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania, often from a big blue retrofitted school bus.
“We brainstormed, when we first sat down, all the organizations that we could support… I had a little steering committee (where) everybody brought six names to the table or something like that. And it was like, “We’re never going to run out of names,” Cercone said.
Cercone makes it a point to be transparent about the store’s charitable impact. Each month, the featured organization is prominently displayed at the front of the shop, along with a bar graph showing how much money has been donated. He runs the entire operation with his family and an occasional contractor helping with social media.
While many thrift stores support charitable causes, Cercone believes what sets this place apart is the price point and the consistency.
“Everybody comments on our price point,” he said. “That and the constant refresh. We’re in here Tuesday, Wednesday, like refresh, refresh, refresh. So the Thursday shoppers come back every Thursday to see what’s been put out new.”
Cercone says one of his biggest challenges now is managing space, staying on top of what comes in and making room for new items. Unique donations come in regularly, he said, offering a remarkable glimpse into the lives of those who gave them.
“We just got a load of Pez dispensers this morning. A guy came in with all these NASCAR diecast cars. I mean, that happens all the time.”
The store’s motto, Come Thrift so All Can Thrive, isn’t just a catchy phrase. It’s the heart of the mission.
“They’re thrift shopping, so they’re buying a secondhand good,” Cercone said. “So ‘all can thrive’ is the person who’s buying those $30 worth of clothing — that’s what they need — and these organizations that we’re supporting, they all need (it). I mean, there’s so many out there (with) need.”
Thrift and Thrive, located at 3279 E Western Reserve Rd, Poland, Ohio, accepts cash and all major credit cards — “everything but checks,” Cercone said. The shop is open from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
