Miami - September 25, 2009

Catch My Thrift?

Lotus House Thrift Store Opens

Thrift shopping requires the patience of the Dalai Lama combined with Attila the Hun’s brute strength. We recommend bringing reinforcements (as long as you can take her in a fight).

Or bypass the melee at Lotus House Thrift, a Zen-like store opening tomorrow.

The space used to be an art gallery, and the racks are arranged more like an upscale boutique than Goodwill. (Don’t worry; the prices are more like the latter.) The cutesy pink store sells everything from home appliances to designer clothing. And donations from the right places mean lines like Dior, Tahari, and Betsey Johnson — and Armani suits for the gents.

Profits go to Lotus House Shelter for homeless women and infants. And shelter alumni and residents volunteer as employees, building resume skills and confidence.

It’s Zen and the art of wardrobe maintenance.

Lotus House Thrift, 203 NW 36th Street, Wynwood (305-576-4112 or lotushouseshelter.org).

Photo: George Marks / Getty Images

  Avant-Garde, Do-Gooder