NEWS

2nd Chances Thrift Store To Open June 4th

The Chautauqua County Humane Society’s 2nd Chances Thrift Store, 707 Fairmount Avenue in Jamestown, will open Thursday, June 4th as Phase Two of New York State's reopening process begins. The store will operate on a limited schedule with the hours of 8am to 7pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday until further notice.  Thrift Store Manager Larry Spontaneo said “From 8am to 9am we will be open exclusively to senior citizens and those that are mobility impaired or may have other healthy situations that would need a little extra time and space beyond what we are already doing to abide by the CDC guidelines for a safe store environment.” 

In preparation for opening, work was done to meet CDC guidelines.  Spontaneo said, “We have all of the necessary measures in place to make sure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable shopping experience.” Those measures include proper spacing for social distancing, hand sanitizing stations, and that staff and volunteers will be supplied with masks to wear at all times while in the store.  Spontaneo said customers will be key to keeping a sanitized environment. “We will be asking customers to wear masks while in the store to help stop the possible spread of COVID-19.  We hope everyone will understand that we want folks to feel comfortable while shopping and to know that we care about their health and would expect that they also would show that consideration to our staff, volunteers and of course the other customers.”  (See the full description of safety measures below the blog)

With 2nd Chances being closed for more than two months the burning questions on everyone’s mind is, will you be taking donations?  Spontaneo said, “As we open we will be accepting donations on a limited basis from 10am to 4pm each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for the time being.” The donation process will differ with the goods being accepted at a drop off point that will be clearly marked outside of the store.  Spontaneo said, “We will be taking donations directly from the donor's vehicle and loading them into a van to be taken to a local offsite sorting center.  This is being done to create more space for social distancing at the front end of the store and to have a safer environment for our staff to sort through donations. We will also ask if folks with larger donations would please call ahead to schedule a time to drop off their donations.”  The number for 2nd Chances Thrift Store is 716-664-4504.

2nd Chances Thrift Store is a critical source of funding for the Chautauqua County Humane Society.  CCHS Executive Director Kellie Roberts said, “We know people have been really excited to hear information about the store reopening, and we share that sentiment. The thrift store is responsible for almost a third of our annual income and having it closed for over two months has been devastating.  To have the store up and running again is awesome, and we as always are grateful to those folks that support it.” 

The Chautauqua County Humane Society is a 501 (c)(3) not for profit organization serving Chautauqua County since 1905.  CCHS’s mission is “To improve and save lives through compassionate care, advocacy for animals, and commitment to the community.”   

2nd Chances’ Response to COVID-19

The health and safety of our staff, customers, and volunteers are first and foremost to us. We are following protocol guidelines and recommendations issued by the County, State, and the Center for Disease Control.

Here are the changes we have made to ensure your safety:

• All staff, customers, and volunteers will wear masks while inside the store..

• All staff and volunteers will sign a wellness form before entering the store for their shift every day that they are working.

• All staff and volunteers will practice frequent, proper handwashing throughout the duration of their shift.  

• Shopping carts and baskets will be wiped down after every use.  

• We are wiping down door handles, the credit card keypad, and counters every hour. 

• The completion of cleaning logs will be necessary in different areas of the store depending on the frequency of high-touch surfaces there.

• A plexiglass barrier has been installed at the register.  

• We will promote social distancing within the store by allowing a minimum number of shoppers in at a time.

• We have widened the aisles to give everyone more space.

• Customers are encouraged to avoid touching items and surfaces unnecessarily.

• Customers are encouraged to bag their own items at the checkout counter.

• Hand sanitizer will be made available throughout the store.

• Tape lines have been put down on the floor for customer spacing in the checkout area. 

• We are opening an hour early each day for customers who are 60 and over.  

• Donations are being taken to a separate location where they will be cleaned and stored for a minimum of 72 hours before being put on the store shelves.  

• Our safety plan will be posted conspicuously in the store and in the front window.

• We will follow the required protocol should any staff, volunteers, or customers test positive for, have symptoms of, or be in lengthy close contact with anybody with symptoms or a positive test result.

• We will give all customers the choice of completing a health screening form that includes their contact information so that they can be traced should one of the above situations occur.

• Larry Spontaneo is our 2nd Chances Site Safety Monitor.

We appreciate our staff, volunteers, and all our loyal customers for following our new rules and understanding that they are in place for everyone’s well-being.