NORWICH – The way Kevin Rivenburgh sees it, thrift stores are the wave of the future. Two winters ago, while visiting his son Justin in San Diego, Calif., Rivenburgh visited a thrift store looking for appropriate clothing for when he played golf. From that first shopping experience, he was hooked.
“It was just amazing the stuff that is so good for so little a price,” Rivenburgh said of that first experience. “California is just ridiculous with how many thrift stores are there. There seems to be a thrift store for every non-profit. If there’s a cause, there’s a store for it.”
That initial shopping trip planted a seed that is now growing in Norwich. Rivenburgh recently opened his own thrift store called the California Connection, located on Mechanic Street in Norwich across from the Norwich YMCA. Rivenburgh launched the business just a few weeks ago, but said he has already moved hundreds of items.
Most of Rivenburgh’s inventory is geared toward men and young men, but in the half hour this reporter was interviewing the local proprietor, a young boy, Tyler, and his mother came into the shop. A few minutes later, Rivenburgh sold young Tyler his first two golf clubs, a junior golf bag, and some free golf balls to boot.
Much of what you see at the California Connection is apparel, but he also has a growing supply of golf-specific items from shoes, to balls, golf bags, golf push/pull carts, clubs, sets, and many individually-sold items.
“As bad as I am at the game, you wonder why I like the game so much,” Rivenburgh said of golfing theme in his shop. “The game has a huge appeal. It’s about being outside, living life, and not sitting around. There are a lot of good people and good golfers around here, and a lot of them have already stopped in.”
A Chenango County native, thrift store shopping – and especially opening a business – was not remotely on Rivenburgh’s radar just a few years ago. For most of his adult life, he was working for someone else, now he’s working for himself, and in reality, opening the California Connection was a necessity.
“The one thing I’ve found (from thrift shopping) is that I like getting the deal, and who doesn’t like getting a great deal?” he said. “That’s the biggest appeal to me. I’ve found some really good stuff, I just had too much of it. If I didn’t sell it, I would just be a hoarder.”
Right now, Rivenburgh is setting short-term goals for the store. He hopes to turn over the inventory quickly, and restock with fresh items every couple of weeks. If he can build on the early success his store has enjoyed, he would like to make another business trip out to California, the hotbed for thrift stores. “California is where I have seen the most thrift stores, but I have been to some great stores in Syracuse, Ithaca, and even downstate. I think there are so many of them because people are much more conscious of their waste. Instead of throwing things out, they’re donating them. If you look around this store, you see items that do not belong in any landfill.”
In addition to selling discounted items, Rivenburgh recently began accepting consignments for select golf clubs and golf equipment. He did stress, though, that he is not accepting any donations, and will take new items on consignment on a case-by-case basis.
California Connection is currently open six days a week with hours posted on the store’s entrance. Hours are subject to change, Rivenburgh said. “I have to close (Wednesday) to buy more inventory,” he said. “But I will be open on Monday to make up for it.”