When Shopping Gives Back to Charities
Christmas is fast approaching and everyone is racing about to procure the items on their gift lists. Have you ever stopped to think that you can actually do a good deed by giving back to a charity when you shop? It is possible! I'm not referring to those random items or stores that say they will donate 5% or so with every purchase of whatever said item and you don't truly know if the proceeds get donated to whatever cause. I'm actually referring to a unique resale store called AGC Boutique and I'm sharing not only information about the boutique but also pictures below of what you can currently find at the store! Plus, right now they have an end of the season "Make Me an Offer" sale because an offer is better than nothing on items that their chosen organizations cannot accept (like golf clubs, ski boots, etc.).
AGC Boutique is a resale store fully stocked from donated items that are in perfect condition and range from everything imaginable such as: jewelry, women's clothing & accessories, men's clothing & accessories, children's clothing, accessories, & toys, home goods, sporting goods, shoes, etc. The boutique is owned by my dear friend, Maria. She created the concept of AGC Boutique in order to fully utilize all of the donations received by Amazing Grace Charities. What she was experiencing was that some of the items received by donations were being declined by some shelters/organizations because the items were too nice/too high end/not practical for the people who were living in the shelters such as luxury brand purses, high heels, suits, formal gowns, etc. Maria has taken those items and created the idea of AGC Boutique to sell the high end items and use the proceeds to give back to Amazing Grace Charities. Those proceeds help fund the charity's mission and the work they do such as sorting through donated items, storing the items until given away, renting trucks to haul the items to the charities, shelters, or individual families in need. The boutique itself only has one paid employee who manages the store and handles all of the merchandise in the store: sorting through it and set up it up for display, assisting customers, and ringing up purchases.
AGC Boutique and Amazing Grace Charities are the FIRST charity of it's kind. They are located at 5007 Bissonnet St, Bellaire, TX 77401 and are open from 10am-6pm CT Tuesday through Saturday.
How amazing is this?!?! Think about it. Anything that you may want to donate to Amazing Grace Charities will be used to help others whether directly by someone in need, or it will be used by AGC Boutique and the proceeds will be funded back to Amazing Grace Charities. You can view all about it in this short video below!
I had the pleasure of going over there this past weekend to visit with Maria whom I've known for almost 8 years now! She is a dynamic woman with a selfless heart of gold and she touches the lives of everyone she meets. After we chatted for a while I took a lot of pictures around the store to share with you all! Remember, because this boutique runs on donations you may not find exactly what I am sharing in the photos but that also means they may have even better stuff when you go there. Just make sure to head over there soon and as frequently as possible because you never know what treasures you'll find! And don't worry, there are dressing rooms if you want to try anything on. =)
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Women's Accessories:
You'll find anything you might possibly want from gorgeous jewelry (both resale AND Maria makes/creates jewelry using real stones in the first image below), shoes, scarves, hats, and purses! The black and white tote in the last image is Vince Camuto!
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Women's Clothing:
This is the fun part for me! I like perusing the racks of clothes and they're organized by item type and size so it's a breeze. You'll find all kinds of name brands in perfect condition but the fun part is that you don't know what you'll find because donations switch things up so it's a surprise each time you go! Here's a few shots I took but this isn't even all inclusive nor detailed shots. There's skirts, blouses, sweaters, jackets & blazers, dresses, pants, jeans, formal dresses, etc.
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Men's Clothing:
AGC Boutique has a great selection of men's clothing including jeans, suits, shirts, button downs, shoes & boots, ties, hats and other accessories.
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Sporting Goods for Men & Women:
There's so much to discover here! I almost missed checking out some of these items because they're so many great things to look at. Currently at AGC Boutique you can find: work out attire (and I spied a women's Lulu Lemon top in there!), yoga mats, weights, ski boots, jackets, gloves, Shimano clip in biking shoes (size 9.5), and golf balls & clubs!
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Children's Clothing and Toys:
There is a cute selection of children's clothing and toys available there that are all in perfect condition. What better way to provide for your children like new items that will undoubtedly get torn and stained when they use them? This saves you money and gives back to the charity! Here's some of the items they have currently:
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Home Goods & Festive Decor
This is a great place to pick up Christmas decor for your home that will not be exact same as what everyone else is currently buying. Plus, there's things like crystal, cups, mugs, bowls, wine glasses, candle votives, unopened curtains, picture frames, lamps, mirrors, and more!
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I wish I could have captured everything as there are more things in the store not pictured! I hope you get over to AGC Boutique soon to check out all of the great things they currently have, do some of your Christmas shopping there, and check back there frequently throughout the year as you never know what you might find. Don't forget that right now they have a "Make Me an Offer" sale to get items moving out of the store that cannot be used by their chosen organizations. Something else to remember is that if you have items to donate you can reach out to Maria to make your donations to Amazing Grace Charities as well as help fund their cause on the GoFundMe page.
Happy Shopping!
XOXO
