2 friends open SLO County thrift shop with an upscale twist: ‘So many priceless treasures’
Four years after they met while working and volunteering a church thrift store, two Cambria women are launching their own secondhand shop — this one with an upscale twist.
According to Jackie Ludwick and Linda Giordano, Thrift by the Sea Style & Home specializes in carefully curated upscale items such as clothing, furniture, antiques and household products that are new or gently used.
Each item is displayed at the shop at 2450 Main St., on the eastern edge of Cambria’s historic East Village district, in a way that showcases its uniqueness.
The shop will also sell items online.
“We are women with champagne taste and beer budgets, and we have found so many priceless treasures that we hope to share with others,” Giordano wrote in an email.
Thrift by the Sea held a soft opening a couple weeks ago, and a grand opening celebration is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday.
SLO County business owners met via nonprofit thrift shop
Ludwick started worked at Cambria Vineyard Church’s nonprofit Re·Create Thrift Store in the June of 2019, about a month before Giordano came aboard as a volunteer.
Ludwick managed Re·Create, relying on her background as the owner-operator of a Southern California screen printing and embroidery business.
“At Re·Create, I wore many hats, depending on what the day (and the donors) would bring us,” she said.
She scheduled the staff, organized the store, took in donations, priced the goods and hired a team of volunteers for various tasks, Ludwick said.
One of those volunteers was Giordano, who said her background as a letter carrier and community services coordinator for the National Association of Letter Carriers “helped me to see that there are under-served populations in every city and town, even in Cambria.”
“Thrifting allows people everywhere to get items at discounted prices and keeps usable merchandise out of landfills,” Giordano said.
“For many thrift shoppers, it’s the thrill of the hunt,” she added, which she learned to love “at an early age when I would haunt the Army/Navy surplus stores for denim and other funky stuff to decorate with.”
Ludwick, however, didn’t catch the bargain-hunting bug until she started working at Re·Create.
“Now I’m hooked,” she said.
Ludwick said that she and Giordano “work very well together, and we enjoy meeting new people,” making a professional partnership ideal.
A business arrangement with another person about the shop has ended, they said Wednesday.
New resale store opens in Cambria
Giordano and Ludwick said they plan to be fussy about what they’ll accept and put out for sale. They’ll give other thrift shops any donated items that don’t meet their criteria.
Some of the items for sale in the shop Wednesday were a vintage typewriter, guitars, video games, colorful quilts and an antique clock.
“Those things may not be here tomorrow,” Giordano warned. “Things have already been selling quickly.”
The friends pledge to keep prices low, so others who make their living by buying and reselling items “can make a profit, too,” Giordano said.
All clothing items for men and women are $6 each, with the exception of specialty items displayed on a separate rack, she said. Women’s clothing sizes range from small to 3X.
Giordano and Ludwick said local people are welcome to drop off donations at the shop. The women will also help people who are downsizing or dealing with the estates of loved ones.
“We won’t do consignments,” Ludwick said, “but if people need help clearing out their homes, we’ll be there to help. They can trust us to do what we say we will do.”
Ludwick and Giordano can even provide free pickups in Cambria and San Simeon for those who are unable to bring in donations in person.
How Thrift by the Sea plans to help community
According to Giordano, she and Ludwick will donate a portion of the money they make every month to the Cambria Community Council, which donates to more than 50 nonprofit groups in Cambria and San Simeon.
In addition, Giordano said, “We are here to help those in dire need of usable items.”
She and Ludwick plan to maintain a stock of sleeping bags, tents, clothing and personal hygiene products to give to unhoused people as well as residents displaced by fires, flooding or other disasters.
They will also donate prom dresses to services that provide special occasion attire to low-income teens.
“We believe in giving back to our community,” Giordano said.
More about Thrift by the Sea Style & Home
Thrift by the Sea Style & Home is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
For details, call 805-203-5373 or 951-264-5923, or email jackie@thriftbythesea.com.
