Anne’s Thrift Store In Leonardo Reopens, Under New Ownership

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Anne's Thrift Shop in Leonardo is now reopened and being run by two women local to the Middletown area.

The shop closed last summer under its previous owners, but Verna Broderick, of Middletown, and Lynn Shapiro, who lives in Sea Bright, took it over. They are the new shop managers and they reopened in January.

The two women say they are happy and excited to reopen the popular little shop. Anne's Thrift Shop is located on a quiet street overlooking Raritan Bay.

"We sell a lot of vintage clothing; we have a lot of teens and young adults who love to come in and browse," Shapiro said Monday. "We have a lot of vintage T-shirts and graphic T-shirts; they are a big seller. We also do a lot of mystery jewelry jars, which are jars full of mixed-up different kinds of jewelry. Those are very popular with teenagers right now."

The shop is mostly supplied by donations. They will accept donations of clothing, shoes, jewelry, handbags, home decor and furnishings, sporting equipment, children's clothes and toys and even linens and towels. (Note: The shop does not accept donations of books, CDs or DVDs.) The shop sells men's, women's and children's clothing, jewelry, home goods, home decor, sporting goods such as tennis rackets and some musical instruments.

Anne's Thrift Shop is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and that's also when they welcome the public to drop stuff off.

"People bring in donations all the time. We do source things from estate sales and elsewhere, but donations are really the bulk of our store," said Shapiro. "Both of us were very involved in the thrifting, antique and volunteering worlds and when we stumbled across the shop, we realized it was a great combination of all that. And we wanted to help an organization like the blind."

The building is owned by the New Jersey Blind Citizens Association, which runs the social hall next door. The Blind Citizens Association holds meetings once a week there. The thrift shop funds the programs of the New Jersey Blind Citizens Association.

"People are very generous; we get a lot of donations," said Shapiro. "And we sell it all for very, very inexpensive prices. We're lucky that we get so much stuff."

"We really try to work with other non-profits in the area," said Shapiro. "If we cannot sell it or use it, we try to donate it to other non-profits. We will work very hard to make sure nothing ever goes in the Dumpster. For example, someone dropped off some medical equipment and that will go to the Elks in Red Bank. Donated linens and towels will go to the SPCA and Humane Society. And every month we collect non-perishable food, which we've given to Lunch Break and other food pantries in the area."

Address: Anne's Thrift Shop, 18 Burlington Ave Leonardo NJ 07737 njbca.org/thrift-store

Store hours:

Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Friday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Donations are accepted during store hours.