The former location of Full O’ Life natural foods market in Burbank has a new tenant: The Council Shop Thrift Store & Donation Center, a secondhand store run by the National Council of Jewish Women-Los Angeles, or NCJW-LA, officially opened on Friday.
Locations of The Council Shop can be found across Los Angeles, but until today, the store had yet to make its way to Burbank, Marjorie Gilberg, CEO of NCJW-LA, explained.
“We were looking around the city and there are so many vibrant communities that we are not in right now,” Gilberg said. “When this property was available, we were extremely excited to be able to come in and serve this community too.”
The thrift store sells a variety of home goods and clothing for men, women and children. Proceeds from sales fund NCJW-LA’s programs, such as scholarships, rental assistance, and other economic empowerment initiatives. That also includes the recently-launched guaranteed income program for frontline healthcare workers whose income level disqualifies them from public benefits but still make too little money to comfortably afford the cost of living in Los Angeles.
“Guaranteed income pilots in general have been very successful, but most of them have targeted people below the poverty level,” Gilberg said. “This is one of the first ones in the country that’s looking at people who are working and earning income, but just aren’t able to afford where they live.”
While being part of the stretch of Magnolia Boulevard that’s home to a plethora of vintage and resale stores will likely boost business for The Council Shop — Playclothes, It’s A Wrap, Bearded Lady Vintage & Oddities and several others are within five to ten blocks — proximity to a neighborhood plentiful with potential donors was the most important factor when it came to NCJW-LA’s decision to open its new store.
“What we look for in a community is really we want to be part of a neighborhood,” Gilberg said. “People who love thrifting will go where there are thrift stores, so that helps. But people are willing to donate to our cause and what we do, it really takes a special community for that.
The NCJW-LA accepts donations at the Burbank location of The Council Shop — as well as its stores in Mar Vista, Canoga Park, Fairfax and two West Los Angeles locations — daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It currently accepts gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories for all genders of adults and children as well as housewares and some furniture. All locations are open daily for shopping from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
