It has been said that one man's trash is another man's treasure. Coronado's second-hand shops support that sentiment. Each store, brimming with donations from even the wealthiest of locals, is a treasure trove of vintage finds, trendy must-haves and everyday necessities.

Each Monday morning at the Christ Episcopal Thrift Shop a handful of chatty high-energy women, and a few very brave men, get together to clean out the old and make room for the new. "We hate that 'eau de Op-Shop' smell!" confides volunteer and manager Barbara DeMichele. "We're very picky about what we put out." That, and they keep all the windows and doors open during business hours.

The term "Op-Shop" - short for Opportunity Shop - applied to this storefront until it was formally changed to "Thrift Shop" about two years ago. But one glance around the converted two-bedroom apartment and it quickly becomes obvious that this is no ordinary thrift store; it's practically a boutique.
"We put a lot into it because we feel if you spend money you're going to make more money," says DeMichele, pointing to all-new shelving and a paint job that gets refreshed every two to three years. "We try to keep it more like a store." And the staff of approximately 60 volunteers - mostly parishioners - works systematically to ensure this is always the case.

Men's clothing is neatly hung and kept separated from women's attire while shoes, purses, lamps, books and countless bric-a-brac are arranged with obvious care and attention to detail. The occasional wedding dress, current fashions and designer treasures - like a mint-condition Escada suit - earn their rightful place on the shop's "Boutique Rack." Older inventory constantly gets rotated to the red-tag rack where things are priced to move at 50 cents. Once an item has been tagged red it has one week to sell before being rotated out of the store completely. Here it's all about keeping the inventory as fresh as possible.

Prices are no mystery. All items are categorized and prices are displayed on a large bulletin board. Stocking up on essential travel reading is simple with books starting at 25 cents each. Women's one- or two-piece suits sell for $6 while men's twopiece suits are $8. Shoes for both sexes are just $2, and children's shoes are onlya buck a pair. The only exceptions are boutique-rack items, which are priced as marked. Not to worry though, the Escada suit is still a bargain at $20.

While parishioners don't do much of the shopping, they do provide most of the donations. Proceeds from those who are spending money in the shop go back into Episcopal Community Services. Along with supporting local scholarships and national causes like Hurricane Katrina relief, ECS supports the kinds of programs that help women transition from domestic violence or unites them with their children after prison. "In some cases," says DeMichele, "ECS serves the ones that nobody else serves."

Christ Episcopal Thrift Shop is at 1210 Ninth St. and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (619) 435-9470. Donations are accepted during business hours. Gift certificates are offered year round.

At the other end of town is Second Best Thrift Shop, which is managed by the auxiliary of Sharp Coronado Hospital. Along with participating in community events and volunteering in different areas within the hospital, the auxiliary has been successfully running the thrift shop since the early sixties. Harriet Sangrey, manager of patient/administrative relations, oversees the entire operation and explains that the auxiliary is responsible for dispersing the shop's proceeds back into the hospital.

Sangrey is a member of the capital committee of the hospital and from that committee projects are brought forward to the auxiliary members. "We have an account with the foundation and the volunteers decide how the money is spent," she says. "We run the gift shop also - the gift shop, thrift shop, vendor sales - it's a pretty good operation here." Vendor sales refer to additional sources of income like book fairs, jewelry sales, uniform sales and art fairs.
Recent donations to the thrift shop included the materials needed for the construction of the hospital's outdoor healing garden, and the purchase of a flexible ureteroscope - a piece of equipment that permits direct and inner visualization by entering with little or no dilation.

Second Best may have the widest variety of regular customers. "A lot of time we'll have a sale on Thursday to coincide with the garage sales," says Sangrey, who is referring of course to Coronado's designated garage sale day.

Shopping convenience aside, Sangrey says the success of the shop stems from their inventory. "Our donations are quality, the prices are good and we have a variety of things." Sangrey is always surprised by how many people have their clothes dry cleaned before dropping them off.

Name-brand clothing priced well below market value is a frequent find here. In general, clothing is priced at 50 cents to several dollars depending on the condition and quality. An appliance in good condition may sell for $5 to $15, though other household items may sell for much less. The auxiliary conducts research on each antique brought to the shop. Prices on antiques are typically reflective of appraisal values.

Second Best Thrift Shop is at 1513 Third Ave. and is open Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. (619) 522-3676. Donations are accepted during business hours.
Not only is the Graham Memorial Presbyterian Thrift Cottage one of the oldest thrift stores in Coronado, it's also the only consignment shop this side of the bridge.

Coronadan Regina Turner spread thrift-store fever 52 years ago when she started selling gifts and clothes out of her house to raise funds for the church. Eventually Graham Memorial opened its own storefront on Orange Avenue, where the phone company is now, until moving things to the site of the old Presbyterian Sunday School in the late 1980s.

The shop still receives a fair amount of donations, but nowadays much of their inventory is sold on a consignment basis. The proof lies within the alphabetized accounting books filled with running tallies of percentages owed to the island's residents. "We probably have half of Coronado in here!" exclaims volunteer Janet Stockdale. And Stockdale ought to know - she's been keeping tabs since 1961.

No furniture is for sale here, since space is at a premium, but plenty of toys, clothes and small household items are waiting to be discovered. Vintage lace dresses might sell for $5 while a black leather motorcycle jacket might sell for $10. A pair of running shoes to jumpstart that exercise program, only 31 cents. On a recent visit, a George Foreman grilling machine - normally priced between $20 and $80 at kitchen stores - was priced at $6. Not only was it in great condition, it still had the drip tray.

All income benefits various ministries such as the Presbyterian crisis center, a military outreach program, and a scholarship program for local high school students with grants up to $1,000. Any money that is left over goes back into an endowment fund for the church.

At least 45 volunteers sort, price and keep the consignment books in check, and being late for a shift is not an option. At least two people must be in the shop at all times - one in the front and one in the back. "Even if the desk person is here, if there's no one in the back we can't open the store. That's why we depend on timeliness!" says Jean Watson, another active volunteer. Thankfully, she admits, "We're all pretty faithful."

Graham Memorial Thrift Cottage is at 1211 Tenth St. and is open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. (619) 435-5380. Donations and consignments are accepted during business hours.

Not that there is anything wrong with it, but the folks at Second Hand Prose didn't set up shop to sell clothing and housewares. For them, it's all about curling up with a good book or movie.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Coronado Library organization, the blink-and-you'll-miss-it storefront behind the library opened about two years ago and is a discount haven for bookworms. It's also an additional source of funding for extra programs outside of the library's budget, which makes it a "win-win" for the entire community says Friends' board member and shop volunteer Lisa Heinz. "It's really nice to live in a place where the library is so central and so important. One of the things that we really want to do is support that library and make it the best we can."

Customers will find a fresh crop of titles on any given day. When books have lost their allure or space limitations have been met, extra inventory is shrink-wrapped and stored away for the library's yearly book sale or the shop's annual Christmas sale. Only collectibles and the most current or sought-after titles maintain priority status. Although, as a courtesy to Bay Books, any title less than six months old has to wait.

The shop's centerpiece is a towering turquoise-blue shelf used to display themes that coincide with special discounts. For example, if every decoration and book on the shelf is based on military history, discounts may extend to military personnel or to military-themed books. If "Big Blue" is filled with food décor and cookbooks, discounts may extend to any food-themed books.
Discounts or not, the daily prices can't be beat. Paperbacks are typically $1 unless they're book club or trade books like "Middlesex" or "The Piano Tuner," which run about $3 each. Hardbacks are $3 to $5, and children's books run anywhere from 50 cents to $2.

Beanie babies are often attached to children's selections and pre-made gift sets can be found on an intermittent basis. Gift baskets are available upon request all year round.

Second Hand Prose is located behind the Coronado Public Library at 640 Orange Ave. and is open Monday, 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday, 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Friday, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.; and Sunday, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. Phone: (619) 435-0290. Donations are accepted in the shop during business hours or at the front of library during the library's business hours.