Repurposing Cashmere Sweaters into Touques

Growing up in a very small town in northern Canada, a majority of our clothes came from the Sears catalogue. If you wanted something other than Sears couture, you had to make it yourself or drive four hours to the closest city. Fortunately, I came from long line of extremely talented knitters, sewers, and crafters. […]

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DIY: How to reupholster a chair in 5 minutes!

Are your dining room chairs stained, dirty and outdated? Do your chairs look like they were attacked by a 3 year old with Koolaid and finger paint? Well here is the perfect DIY solution that is both fast and easy. This 5-minute life hack will not only upgrade your dining experience, but will help make […]

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Behind the Curtain – What’s it really like to run a thrift shop?

Kathie Olson, Arc’s Value Village Thrift & Donation Center Richfield. I never intended to manage a thrift store. That really wasn’t what I was shooting for. I mean, I always loved working in fine retail as a hobby for something fun to do when I needed some extra cash or was between “real” jobs, but […]

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Thriftable Fall Fashions

    By Michelle Raven   Crisper, cooler temps are settling in, the leaves on the trees are beginning to turn stunning hues of orange and yellow.  We’re stashing away our tanks, shorts and sundresses we loved all summer long and making room in our closets for the cozy layers of fall. today football predictions from […]

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10 reasons Arc’s Value Village Bloomington’s grand opening should go on your calendar NOW

If you go: Location: Valley West Shopping Center, 10546 France Ave. South in Bloomington (France Ave & Old Shakopee Rd, by Cub Foods) Time: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. December 6 with scheduled events throughout the day Event website We’ve been working hard to prepare our fifth store location for our grand opening celebration happening […]

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Thrift for the Earth!

We Arc shoppers love to thrift for countless reasons: for the low prices, for the thrill of the hunt, for the positive social impact, and many more. But what you may or may not know is that buying secondhand merchandise—clothing especially—has a huge environmental impact. It reduces pollution of the air, water and soil Air: […]

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Apartment Life (Made Easy)

My first apartments were shared, as a student and then as a newlywed. And now after … well after many years I’m back living in an apartment. I no longer own a lawn mower, a hose, a rake or a snow shovel. Love it. This past winter I just enjoyed snowstorms and didn’t have to […]

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Mason Jars – as Useful Today as They Were 100 Years Ago!

2013 Marks the 100th Anniversary of the first series of Ball Jars designed by the Ball Brothers.  The first Mason jar was patented in 1858 by John Landis Mason.  Mason jars – of all sizes, brands and styles are still as useful now as they were back in the day.  Since jars are so readily available […]

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Every day is Earth Day at Arc’s Value Village

Earth Day is Monday, April 22, and Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores & Donation Centers have a remarkable story to tell. Believe it or not, in the past 30 years of selling and recycling, Arc’s Value Village has kept nearly 60 million pounds of clothing and household items out of landfills. In 2012 alone, Arc’s […]

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Easing Into Thrifting

by Sally McGraw, Guest Stylist at Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores and Donation Centers I’ve been thrifting since I was 12 and I’ll be thrifting until I’m 112. I’m the type of person who sets her mind to a task and doesn’t stop until the task has been completed, which makes me an ideal thrift […]

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