Each day, Petoskey's Salvation Army thrift store gets a steady amount of business. But the same can't be said about what drives the stores inventory; donations.
"We usually get a lot nicer donations this time of year, but we usually get a lot less, so we urge people to do their spring cleaning and bring stuff in now," Store Manager Laura Elyea said.
Starting in January, resale stores begin to see donations drop and shoppers start to notice that temperatures do the same, which means winter clothing is being bought up.
"This time of year donations are slower, we don't get as many, we need kids winter coats, men's clothing, winter boots, hats, quality nice items we can sell in our stores to people who really need it," Elyea explained.
Furniture is also frequently sought after and one of the items they are in constant need of is beds. At the Gold Mine Women's Resource Center, they say that once a bed comes in, it is only a few days before it is gone.
"It's shocking how many families do not have the bare necessities, families that have children sleeping on floors or on a sofa, so bedding if its in clean sellable condition is really needed," Gold Mine Assistant Manager Sarah Krull said.
Both stores are open year round and they say that most of the time they have to hold back donations from the spring just to make it through the winter.
