Wesley Thrift Shop at the United Methodist Church of Bound Brook has served the Bound Brook community for almost 20 years, providing clothing and housewares at a reasonable price for anyone who is in need.
In 2021, the store took a major hit from Hurricane Ida, having been flooded with seven feet of water from the overflowing brook. Volunteers and staff had to bag up everything and haul it to the street; the only things remaining standing were muddy, empty racks that used to hold all the clothes. Blessed with assistance from the GNJ Ida Relief Fund, the store was renovated within eight months and reopened for the community on April 9, 2022. All monies were put to good use in restoring the space.
Pastor McWilliam Colon, lovingly referred to as Willy from Philly, and thrift shop coordinator Nancy Murphy, led a group of devoted volunteers as they cleared out all the water and mud, scrubbed down racks, replaced and rebuilt walls that had bowed and buckled, and repainted everything. The store may have been destroyed, but their spirit certainly had not.
Today, the thrift shop is thriving, receiving so many generous donations, and servicing more community members than ever. The thrift shop pays it forward whenever possible. Often receiving an abundance of baby clothes, Wesley Thrift Shop donates the excess to the Pregnancy Aid & Information Center in Raritan, NJ. Additionally, the thrift shop partners with the Bound Brook Presbyterian Church Food Pantry to provide vouchers for free items at the thrift shop for anyone lacking basic necessities.
This is a beautiful example of good people coming together to do good works—the monetary donations people made to the Ida Relief Fund, the donations of clothing and essentials to the thrift shop, GNJ blessing the shop with the funds necessary to recover from disaster, and all the volunteers who brought the shop back to life. As a result, the thrift shop is able to pass on so many blessings to others who need them the most. The community is thankful for Wesley Thrift Shop for not only offering clothing, bedding, cookware, and plates, but for instilling hope, love, gratitude, and resilience as well.
If you would like to donate to the thrift shop, or if you are in need of anything the thrift shop has to offer, all are welcome to visit the location at 138 W Union Ave, Bound Brook, NJ 08805.