AUSTIN, Texas — At Austin's Top Drawer Thrift shop, you can find a little bit of everything.
“Household tools to artwork and clothing,” sales manager Ben Zimmerman said.
But if you take a deeper look, you’ll also find a family that takes pride in helping their neighbors.
“So, we are a thrift shop, but we’re so much more than that,” Zimmerman said. “Shop here, donate here, volunteer here – it saves lives and it saves the lives of our neighbors.”
Zimmerman said 100% of the money made at Top Drawer Thrift goes to a nonprofit called Project Transitions, an organization founded in 1988 that originally served as a hospice care facility for those with HIV and AIDs.
“In 1993, one of our board members came up with the great idea of having a thrift store because so many people wanted to help right in the middle of the height of the AIDS crisis,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman said he remembers the 1990s, when it was an unknown time for those living with HIV and for the LGBTQ community.
“It was a very scary time, and people really stepped up and really wanted to help, right here in our community in Austin,” Zimmerman said.
Over the years, Zimmerman said he has watched the project bloom and grow, going from just providing hospice care to now housing people experiencing homelessness and living with HIV.
“Our housing has gone from 24 homes to, by the end of this year, over 100," Zimmerman said. "Our new facility should be move-in ready, hopefully in the fall. That is 60 new homes and a community center, doctors offices and patient care rooms."
Every single bit of it was paid with money, donations and help from the people who shop at Top Drawer Thrift.
“I think it takes this huge community to make anything like this happen, and it's a beautiful thing to just be a little tiny part of,” Zimmerman said.
Zimmerman started as a volunteer at the store 15 years ago and recounted how Austin really needed a safe space for the queer community.
So they got loud and proud about it.
“I started painting rainbows on the walls and blowing bubbles outside and having pop-up markets, you know, with queer small businesses," Zimmerman said. "It has grown, and it has done wonders for us as a business and for our fundraising."
It’s also reached the community.
“I think it's awesome, and that's why we come here,” Becky Blackwell said.
Blackwell said she has shopped at the store for six years.
“It's like a community, and you're helping other people who need that help and that support, too,” Blackwell said.
Shaina Trevino said she was initially drawn to Top Drawer Thrift by the colorful walls and decorations, but she said the project will keep her coming back.
“I feel like not a lot of thrift stores do that,” Trevino said. “ It’s really nice to help out the community and just to have money to go somewhere good is really nice.”
In a store that has a little bit of everything, they have a lot of pride in helping their family.
“Community is a tremendous part of that, and without that, places like this don't survive,” Zimmerman said. “Austin is changing. Even we had to move after three decades being in the same home to a smaller space so that we could afford to stay. Luckily, we have a strong following and a happy Top Drawer family that will never let us go.”
Zimmerman said if you know someone who is experiencing homelessness and living with HIV, you can go to Project Transitions’ website to find out how to apply for help.
Donations and volunteers are always welcome.