A NEW thrift store, Will & Ebs’ Tropic Threads, will have its grand opening this Saturday, Dec. 9, from 11 a.m. to 7: p.m. in San Vicente, adjacent to the U.S. Post Office.
Co-owner Jessica Williams said the thrift store will have second-hand and overstocked clothing, as well as locally handcrafted products such as jewelry and wall art.
Will & Ebs’ Tropic Threads will hold a “soft opening” on Friday for a select group of shoppers.
After the grand opening on Saturday, the thrift store will be open from Wednesday to Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
“Living in Saipan for a while made [me and co-owner Jessica Eherhardt] realize how much we missed thrift shopping,” Williams said. “We quickly realized that at the time there weren’t many options for donating unwanted clothing and getting it back into the community while it still has life left, especially for quality items. So we thought we should utilize our business degrees and start our own thrift store.”
She said their store will emphasize local resources in the art and decoration pieces they sell.
Aside from giving the local community an opportunity to find a thrifty deal, a thrift store also allows community members to “close the loop of fast fashion in our community,” Williams said.
“We try to utilize as many locally sourced items as we can in our art, whether it’s sea glass, driftwood, dried flowers, or even the kapok cotton from the trees,” she added. “Every part of our business goes back to two things: sustainability and serving Saipan’s community.”
Williams said the thrift store will also buy gently used clothing from its customers.
“As business continues, we will be posting the dates and times that we will be able to buy unwanted pieces that still have purpose to resell at the storefront. Eventually we also intend to accept donations of items that aren’t good enough quality to resell, but can be repurposed,” Willams added.
