This article has been updated since it first appeared in print.
In addition to home decor, Furbish Thrift offers free pet exam and vaccine clinics. (Photo courtesy Lisa Cumbey)
Furbish Thrift held its grand opening on a cold and drizzly March 15. One of its founders, Bill Harrison, resigned himself to a lackluster turnout and inauspicious beginning for the store dedicated to benefiting Richmond’s animals.
The day proved him wrong. “It was so crowded in here that afternoon you could hardly walk. It was really humbling. I got emotional several times due to the turnout,” Harrison says.
Donations began flowing in faster than they could be processed. The phone rang constantly, Harrison says, with people wanting to help. “And it was busy in here from the time we opened until the time we closed.” As a result, Harrison hired a store manager, four cashiers, four full-time donation processors and two truck drivers.
Those drivers are key. Prior to the opening, Furbish housed its wares in three scattered storage units, and Harrison, with the active assistance of the board, picked up donations using a 30-year-old red Chevrolet pickup. “I looked like Fred Sanford,” he says wryly, referring to the 1970s television sitcom junkyard owner, “going all over picking up couches and dining room sets.”
Then an anonymous donor contributed $75,000 for the purchase of a new transport vehicle. “A truck is the backbone of any thrift operation,” Harrison states, his certainty based on 30 years of involvement with nonprofits and running the shop at Diversity Thrift. (Furbish offers free pickup and a small charge if you purchase and they deliver.)
The idea for the store, Harrison explains, came from his partner, Mark Burkett, a co-founder and co-owner of Mongrel, the well-known Carytown gifts and notions shop. “We hold him wholly responsible,” says Harrison with a chuckle. Retired but not ready to quit yet, Harrison responded to the idea.
A thrift store geared toward assisting animals and their owners is original for Richmond, but not other cities of its size. Harrison and Burkett discussed the idea with friends, and then the group began hunting for a place to open shop. In November 2022, they happened upon a space in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center recently vacated by a longtime antiques store. Another empty store a few doors down was temporarily available for sorting donations.
In addition to thrift sales, Furbish has initiated cat and dog adoption days, free clinics and vaccinations, and a pantry for owners dealing with the rising price of animal food. A primary focus is assisting animal care facilities operated by other smaller nonprofits. At the end of the fiscal year, the group wants to disperse support grants.
“The response has been overwhelming,” Harrison says. He credits the active role of the Furbish board of directors for not only the amount of assistance and donations, but the quality of both. He is already contemplating Furbish’s future. “We fell in love with this location,” Harrison says. “Wherever this place leads us is where we’ll go.”
