Southampton Animal Shelter Opens Thrift Shop, Names Executive Director

Aside from being in the adoption business, theFoundation now has its paws in retail.

According to Linda Shapiro, event coordinator for the shelter, in an effort to raise revenue to support the non-profit shelter, Sony Schotland, executive vice president of the Foundation, has secured space for a new thrift shops, called the Southampton Animal Shelter Thrift Shops, at 85 and 87 Jobs Ln in the village of Southampton.

With all volunteers manning the new stores, just about all of the proceeds from sales will go directly to the animal shelter, said Shapiro.

The only overhead, said Shapiro, is rent.

To stock the shelves of the new shop, the Foundation solicited donations from the community, which Shapiro said answered the call, donating and continuing to donate, more than enough to fully-stock the shop in time for its grand opening.

Shapiro expects that the up-scale thrift shop, which is right in the “chic” part of the village, will prove lucrative.

Available in the shop is everything from designer clothing and handbags, antique furniture, outdoor furniture, lamps, vases and more.

And the prices, said Shapiro are just amazing: “I know someone who got a brand-new, designer dress, valued at $500 for $20.”

While the store officially opened on Feb. 3, a grand opening celebration will be held on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

 “All are welcome to attend,” said Shapiro.

Just days after the Foundation announced the opening of the thrift shop, it formally appointed Nick Mastronardi as its first executive director.

Mastronardi has been working with the Foundation since October and has served as an advisor to the Longmont Humane Society in Longmount, Colo., where he oversaw the Longmont Humane Society’s “move into their state-of-the-art facility and played an important role in the national reputation that it has gained for its progressive sheltering techniques,” according to a press release from Shapiro.

Mastronardi is a Wall Street businessman and is married with four children, four dogs and two cats. All of his pets are rescues.