About
Why the directory?
This directory was created in 2013 by Get Your GreenBack Tompkins and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County to showcase the wealth of reuse, resale and thrift stores in Ithaca and Tompkins County. We found that most people had heard of some of the stores, but everybody was surprised by the number and variety of secondhand stores that we have available. In 2017 Reuse Tompkins became the Reuse Trail of Tompkins County--perhaps the first such trail in the country!
As of 2023, Tompkins County Recycling and Materials Management is helping manage the site, with support from Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County.
Why Secondhand?
Purchasing secondhand items is good for your pocketbook, uses no additional natural resources and keeps material out of landfills. According to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops, $200 billion dollars of revenue is being generated from reuse stores in the US. This money creates jobs, and contributes to maintaining a healthy local economy. Secondhand shopping also reduces our carbon footprint, as manufacturing new goods is very energy and pollution intensive.
Taken together, the stores in this directory provide significant support to our community's effort to build an ecologically sound and socially just local economy.
Contact
Did we miss a local thrift shop or consignment store that you love? Do you have a correction to submit? Please send comments, concerns or suggestions to info@reusetompkins.com. Or, if it's your store, you can register it or edit its entry here.
Supporters
Aside from the 40+ stores, this directory is supported by a number of other organizations in Tompkins County who value secondhand shopping. These include: