Austin has long been a thrifter’s paradise in Texas. But even with the over 100 thrift and vintage stores around, one stands out.
Heartening has been operating with a zero-waste goal since founder Kelley Rytlewski created an online directory of local charity donation needs during the pandemic.
After she was laid off from Twitter, she started accepting physical donations and growing Heartening full time. Eventually, she said, the operation outgrew her house, and Heartening moved into a 390-square-foot room to sort donations.
Now, Heartening has a free clothing stand and a $3 clothing warehouse, marked solely with a “78752” mural — the ZIP code. Still, Rytlewski wouldn’t necessarily call it a thrift store.
“We're trying to be a sustainability project for the community," she said. "So, our prices are not like thrift stores."
Many secondhand items that aren't resold by other organizations get abandoned in wasteful ways.
“Their mission isn't zero waste,” Rytlewski said. “Their mission is supporting their own goals, whether that's, you know, sober-living houses or job creation. Our mission is zero waste. So, when we take in items, our mission is to put them back in the community, locally.”
At Heartening, everything is $3, except select fancier items, which go for $15. The sales are just to cover operating costs, and the extensive online directory still exists to help people find new homes for everything from postage stamps to iPads.
In November, Heartening received a $3,000 mini-grant from the city’s Food and Climate Equity Grants program. Heartening used the money to build its free stand as it moved into the North Austin location.
“It was dream come true, finally, honestly, so we’re really grateful to have it,” Rytlewski said. “And our goal is to give away over 300,000 pieces of clothing a year in it.”
Thrifty Austinite Maggie Seeds runs her own business, Curated Thrift, where she acts as a personal shopper and stylist. She said the free stand, the $3 price point and the community heart makes Heartening stand out. She also regularly volunteers there.
“You know, for me, it was social and kind of reconnecting to a community,” Seeds said. “Doing a physical job that feels like it's beneficial to our Austin community was exciting for me.”
She also said she has learned a lot from Rytlewski’s entrepreneurial drive in the store and on social media.
“We're always encouraging people to come take stuff for free, upcycle with it, make things with it, wear it,” Seeds said.
She said the clothes in the free stand are not junk; sometimes they just need a button that can be sewn on at home.
“We don't believe in taking from the free stand out of purely need,” Rytlewski said. “It's about the necessity of keeping our planet alive and reusing resources.”
She said the free stand also allows those in need to pick out things for themselves instead of relying on case workers or social workers to shop for them.
Rytlewski said it’s all part of the Heartening equation: Drop off donations, shop the warehouse, volunteer and shop the free stand.
“It's the ritual,” she said. “If they're a nurse when they get off shift or if they're a teacher nearby when they get off school or somebody who's waiting to pick up their kid, like we see people who will come in as part of their routines, which is awesome.”
It is that ritual, she said, that she hopes to keep growing in the community to promote zero waste with and beyond Heartening.
“I think everyone who comes here and sees the big picture of the work that we're doing really starts to appreciate that this place is different,” she said.
