Lifelong Thrift: Where community and fashion come together

One of the standout spots along Broadway has been the colorfully decorated storefront at Lifelong Thrift, a non-profit thrift store in the Capitol Hill area. The store offers great deals while supporting a meaningful cause. 

Lifelong’s mission is to “engage in our community and financially support the cause of Lifelong to provide food, housing, and health to individuals with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions,” as stated on their website. 

The organization’s roots stretch back to 1983 when they first began taking donations for people with HIV/AIDS through a group called the “Chicken Soup Brigade,” whose sign still hangs in their store. In 2001, they officially formed a nonprofit and opened a thrift store to fund the business. Today, they operate one location on Broadway, which opened in 2015. 

An employee, Angus, shared more about the store’s history. He said that the store itself began as a number of small pop-up thrift stores before it established a permanent location. Getting enough donations has never been the hard part – the store opens at noon and almost always has a line of people with donation bags. 

With the high number of donations received and the nonprofit status that Lifelong operates under, they are able to keep prices reasonable. It is far more reasonable than similar thrift stores in Seattle. With less than $20, someone can put together an outfit, and with $30, furnish a living room. For some people, that’s a good deal, and for others, that changes what they can afford altogether. 

As a nonprofit, the store is not allowed to make political statements. However, a “Black Lives Matter” flag hangs proudly, as do multiple LGBTQ flags and displays. Angus mentioned there are many gay-affirming things in the store and that having queer spaces that aren’t bars is incredibly important when hate is ever-present. 

The staff do their best to build community at the store. Angus noted they have regulars and that it almost feels like a sitcom working there, always bumping into people they know. 

Besides the community they build in the store, Lifelong is also part of a voucher program that gives money to people with HIV/AIDS. It goes back to the original mission of the Chicken Soup Brigade that spawned Lifelong as a thrift store, but now the profits fund the voucher program. 

Another part of their community building is masking. Every Thursday, masks are required for shopping in-store. Although many may see masking as a way of the past, many who are immunocompromised are now able to shop at Lifelong. 

For those looking to engage with the Capitol Hill community meaningfully, consider volunteering at Lifelong. Shifts are one to two hours long and available each day the store is open. The store asks for a commitment of two hours per week for a minimum of three months. 

Lifelong Thrift is open Sunday and Monday from noon to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 7 p.m.