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Local Thrift Shop Raises Money for CNY Music

By Danyell Monk

SARAL KHARE: The arts often struggle to find funding, especially as the world moves past the COVID-19 pandemic.

LADDIE SPRINGER: NCC News reporter Danyell Monk explains how one local association helps.

DANYELL MONK: Buying gently used goods at a thrift shop has a variety of benefits for shoppers. One local thrift shop not only helps out its shoppers, but also local nonprofits.Are you searching for a new summer dress? Or maybe some fancy dishes to fill your cupboards. The Encore Thrift Shop in Fayetteville is one place shoppers can find these items. But it isn’t your average second-hand store. It also serves as a year-round fundraiser for the Syracuse Sounds of Music Association, also known as the SSMA. The SSMA works to help support non-profit music organizations in Central New York. The thrift shop is fully run by volunteer workers, some SSMA board members and others former Encore customers. All money raised from Encore Thrift Shop purchases, as well as SSMA events throughout the year, goes towards grants.

SANDY ROSENFELD: All the nonprofits in the arts are struggling right now. So, it’s very satisfying to be able to give away money. And also, we are recycling. We are helping people with their budget.

MONK: One of the main organizations helped by SSMA funding is the Symphoria Orchestra, the full-time professional orchestra of Central New York. Grants from the SSMA cover the cost of concerts, youth orchestra scholarships, a school literacy program, and even a program that brings music to hospital and nursing home patients. Symphoria Corporate Giving and Annual Fund Manager Kelly Covert says Symphoria is proud the SSMA is one of its top sponsors.

KELLY COVERT: They’re every year are increasing their profits, which go directly to help organizations like ours. And so, I’m really grateful for what they’re doing, and I hope that they continue to grow because their growth helps us.

MONK: This year the association awarded over $55,000 in grants, doubling its amount since its start. You can visit the Encore Thrift Shop five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday.

SPRINGER: Thank so much for that Danyell. Danyell, have you been to this thrift shop and, if so, have you gotten yourself anything nice?

MONK: I did get a chance to visit the thrift shop when I was shooting my package actually. It’s so awesome. I didn’t get a chance to buy anything but, as some of you know, I’m working for the Syracuse Mets right now and they had a Scooch plushie that I might have to go back and get. So, Laddie and Saral, I’ll toss it back to you guys and hope you can make it to the thrift shop as well.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Encore Thrift Shop was originally an idea by a former board member of the Syracuse Sounds of Music Association. The idea was proposed as a way to raise funds for the association year-round.

The shop opened in 2006 at a former Byrne Dairy in Manlius. However, space was limited at that location. Two years later, the shop was moved to its current location in Fayetteville. Encore Thrift Shop Manager, Sandy Rosenfeld, said it is amazing to see how far the shop has come.

“I think at first no one had any idea how it would succeed,” said Rosenfeld. “Our sales have increased beyond belief.”

In addition to the Encore Thrift Shop, the Syracuse Sounds of Music Association also hosts a variety of events throughout each year. Its signature fundraising event which takes place annually is Music Matters. During the last Music Matters, over $10,000 was raised to go towards grants.

While times were uncertain for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, things were especially limited for the music industry. The Encore Thrift Shop was unable to have shoppers in-store and the Syracuse Sounds of Music Association could not host in-person events. Additionally affected were nonprofit music groups supported by the Syracuse Sounds of Music Association, like Symphoria.

For much of the pandemic, Symphoria was unable to have concerts at all. Eventually, it was able to have virtual live-streamed concerts starting in September 2020, being one of the very few orchestras to have a full concert season that year.

Even through this uncertain time, the Encore Thrift Shop was able to raise funds for Symphoria and other organizations through an eBay shop. Symphoria’s ​​corporate giving and annual fund manager, Kelly Covert, said that the Encore Thrift Shop’s help through Covid helped them get to where Symphoria is today as it celebrates its tenth anniversary season.

“I know through Covid they were really worried because they’re basically a retail shop, but they have this thriving eBay business,” said Covert. “This 10th anniversary feels like a momentous occasion and also like, okay what’s next?”

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