Quirky thrift store benefits AIDS organizations

When Frank's son was mugged and murdered in India, Frank confided in Adam Proctor while browsing the shelves of Philly AIDS Thrift.

Proctor is an employee at Philly AIDS Thrift who has come to know Frank well through the type of caring employee-customer relationships not uncommon at this thrift store.

Before any tragedy hit Frank, he was a regular customer who enjoyed talking with Proctor and some of the other young people working at the store. He'd tell Proctor, who has ear gauges that leave gaping one-inch holes in each earlobe, "Oh, my son has ears like you." Frank's son was in India, and Proctor thought Frank visited the people at the store because they reminded Frank of his faraway child.

"I didn't know his son, but he'd always tell me stories about his son. And then one day he told me his son had AIDS," said Proctor.

Then about three months ago, Frank's son was mugged and murdered in India. Frank was left to question what really happened to his son after Indian police first identified the body and then later claimed their identification may have been incorrect. Frank is living as though the body definitely was his son's, said Proctor.

"He comes in—I don't know if it's because we remind him of his son—because he can talk to someone about it."

Or, Proctor said, the two can just talk about what they ate for dinner the night before.

For a place named after a disease that has killed millions and continues to affect thousands in Philadelphia, Philly AIDS Thrift (PAT) radiates a lot of life. It's the store's commitment to life that sets it apart from even the quirkiest thrift shops in the city. PAT donates all profits to 29 AIDS organizations across Philly, operates almost solely on the work of volunteers, relies on donated items, and is one of the friendliest places found around South Street.

To date, Philly AIDS Thrift has donated over $200,000 to AIDS organizations around Philly through the AIDS Fund.

The Center for Disease Control reported in 2008 that 1.1 million Americans were living with HIV/AIDS. Pennsylvania ranked sixth for diagnosed cases that year, with 35,489. In 2008, the Philadelphia Department of Health reported 18,000 known cases of HIV in the city alone.

People with HIV/AIDS today can look fit and healthy, nothing like the skin-and-bones images of infected individuals from the 1980s, said Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou, PAT's co-founder and manger. Combating the fading public face of AIDS, the store is "a constant reminder to people that AIDS is still out there," said Tom Brennan, an employee who has been involved with PAT since its early days.

PAT first opened full-time in fall 2005 on the first floor of its current location at Bainbridge and Sixth Streets. The initial inventory came from the collected stuff of those involved with PAT in its early stages. Rinaldo, a friend to those who opened the store, was a "fanatic collector," and when he died from AIDS, his things were put up for sale or used as decorations.

An extensive collection of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia from Muffin, a man who was involved with the store before its opening and who died from AIDS just as PAT started up, was also put on the shelves for sale or hung as permanent decorations in his memory.   

Since then, the store has expanded to the second floor and a new furniture warehouse across the street. Donations constantly roll in and fill the store's shelves. Over the past winter, clothing donations were so numerous that they filled the back of the two-story warehouse almost to the top. "The Mountain" became so large that a strong arm was needed to throw incoming bags to the top and volunteers had to dodge avalanches.

Philly AIDS Thrift is hard to miss. If the buckets of clothes and assorted stuff overflowing onto the street don't give the store away, the rainbow flag that adorns the storefront, the second story window display of headless mannequins wearing only bathing suits, or Muffin's six-foot-tall pink and yellow Andy Warhol print of Marilyn Monroe's face will.

People, whether personally affected by HIV/AIDS or who just keep coming back to shop or volunteer, are the heart of PAT. The store's mission, "to help those infected and affected" by HIV/AIDS is the jumping point that a culture of care stems from.

"I know that I personally care about people, and maybe people pick up on that. The folks here tend to be people that care for others and have caring hearts," said Kallas-Saritsoglou.

Not only does PAT raise money for AIDS organizations, but it also sets up tables at Act Up protests and the Philadelphia AIDS Walk every year.

The store supports direct service agencies in the area by giving them vouchers for people recently out of prison who need clothes and kitchenware. It also provides clothes, blankets, and other items to homeless people.

"We even have signs hanging up that say, ‘Don't steal from us, just ask.' Nine times out of ten, we'll help you if you really need it," Kallas-Saritsoglou said.

While PAT has a few employees, volunteers from all walks of life do much of the work at the store. About 100 volunteers actively work at PAT, working three-hour shifts once a week.

At any given time, a grandmother, a hipster, a lawyer, and a high school kid might be on hand, sorting through donations or at the checkout counter.

"It is an eclectic mix. It's kinda cool because there are a lot of young people who are in college or who are doing their high school required community service hours," said Catherine Anderson, an employee who works sorting clothes donations. "There are people here because they love thrift stores or people are here because they want to help people who are living with HIV/AIDS."

Kallas-Saritsoglou said she can't pinpoint what attracts all the volunteers to PAT. There's a secret to the store's successful dynamic that no one has quite figured out yet, although Kallas-Saritsoglou said the mission to help people affected by HIV/AIDS may be the attraction for many.