Safety act wont stop thrift store shopping

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Safety act won't taint thrift store shopping
Owners of stores that resell children's clothing are relieved they're exempt from federal requirement for lead testing

By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal business writer

Published on Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009

Children's clothing resale shops and thrift stores are relieved that a federal agency has clarified a new rule that could have threatened their businesses.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act takes effect Feb. 10. The law, designed to prohibit excessive amounts of lead in children's products, was passed last year by Congress in response to widespread recalls of tainted products for children.

The new law requires that products be tested for lead. Children's products with more than 600 parts lead per million may not be sold. The law included children's clothing, which is not as likely as items such as toys to contain lead.

The clothing language caused concern among operators of small resale shops, nonprofit organizations that sell donated clothing and parents who sell their children's clothes. They wouldn't be able to afford the lead testing and clothing could be thrown into landfills.

''It was a very well-intended, good law,'' said Annie Weddle, owner of the Once Upon Child local franchise in Stow, which is part of a national chain. ''When the law was ill-defined and would actually pertain to resalers and Goodwill, the ramifications of that would have been severe. . . . . I wouldn't have been able to stay in business, which would be devastating to not only myself, but I'm responsible for staff and the community.''

Weddle has operated her children's resale store on Kent Road for 12 years.

Safety clarification

Last Thursday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission clarified the upcoming rule, saying the law would require domestic manufacturers and importers to certify that children's products meet the new standards. However, sellers of used children's products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, would not be required to certify the products and could go on with business as usual.

Lisa Angiulo, owner of the Growing Years in Stow, said that before the clarification came, she was getting petitions ready to put on her Web site and hand out at her store.

''I was going . . . to head to Washington. We contacted other business owners, legal counsel, called our congressman and a small business group,'' said Angiulo, who has been in business for 11 years on Darrow Road. Her store is not part of a chain.

Angiulo said she probably could have stayed in business because she sells clothes for newborns through teens and maternity clothes, but the rule would have severely changed the way she did business.

Customers also called and came in, expressing their concerns, and contacted their congressmen, Angiulo and Weddle said.

Necessary for budgeting

''Especially with the economy the way it is, for families that really need to budget, second hand is a way for people to be able to budget their dollars more,'' Angiulo said.

Angiulo and Weddle said they have customers from all socioeconomic brackets. Besides saving money, many families like the idea of helping the environment by recycling clothes.

If resellers and thrift stores weren't able to sell children's clothes, ''where do you put all of this stuff? It wouldn't have just been job losses,'' Weddle said.

Weddle said she has seen business pick up as the economic crisis has weighed heavily on people's minds.

''I believe the issue of this law created panic for the very reason that this would be one more avenue to save money that would be taken away from people in hard times,'' she said. ''I think that if the economy was not in its current state, the public would have overlooked the ramifications of this law on the resale retail industry.''

Operators of resale shops and thrift stores said they are always checking recall lists and safety notices to make sure their merchandise is safe and complies with the law.

Goodwill Industries of Akron, which has 10 stores in five counties, is investigating how the new law will affect its stores and is working with Goodwill Industries International to turn to the Consumer Product Safety Commission for guidance and clarification, said Beth Galambos, marketing and public relations manager.

Goodwill will continue to accept donations of children's clothing and toys and will continue to sell the items, as long as they comply with regulations, Galambos said.

Goodwill has four stores in Summit County, including a new store in Northfield Village. The other stores are in Lakemore, Tallmadge and in Akron on Waterloo Road. A store in Cuyahoga Falls on State Road closed on Jan. 3 as part of the sale of the State Road Shopping Plaza to the city of Cuyahoga Falls.

Galambos said Goodwill is looking for a new location in the area and all employees were transferred to other stores. Once a new location is chosen, it could open within six months, she said.




-------------------------------------------------------------​-------------------
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.


Children's clothing resale shops and thrift stores are relieved that a federal agency has clarified a new rule that could have threatened their businesses.

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act takes effect Feb. 10. The law, designed to prohibit excessive amounts of lead in children's products, was passed last year by Congress in response to widespread recalls of tainted products for children.

The new law requires that products be tested for lead. Children's products with more than 600 parts lead per million may not be sold. The law included children's clothing, which is not as likely as items such as toys to contain lead.

The clothing language caused concern among operators of small resale shops, nonprofit organizations that sell donated clothing and parents who sell their children's clothes. They wouldn't be able to afford the lead testing and clothing could be thrown into landfills.

''It was a very well-intended, good law,'' said Annie Weddle, owner of the Once Upon Child local franchise in Stow, which is part of a national chain. ''When the law was ill-defined and would actually pertain to resalers and Goodwill, the ramifications of that would have been severe. . . . . I wouldn't have been able to stay in business, which would be devastating to not only myself, but I'm responsible for staff and the community.''

Weddle has operated her children's resale store on Kent Road for 12 years.

Safety clarification

Last Thursday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission clarified the upcoming rule, saying the law would require domestic manufacturers and importers to certify that children's products meet the new standards. However, sellers of used children's products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, would not be required to certify the products and could go on with business as usual.

Lisa Angiulo, owner of the Growing Years in Stow, said that before the clarification came, she was getting petitions ready to put on her Web site and hand out at her store.

''I was going . . . to head to Washington. We contacted other business owners, legal counsel, called our congressman and a small business group,'' said Angiulo, who has been in business for 11 years on Darrow Road. Her store is not part of a chain.

Angiulo said she probably could have stayed in business because she sells clothes for newborns through teens and maternity clothes, but the rule would have severely changed the way she did business.

Customers also called and came in, expressing their concerns, and contacted their congressmen, Angiulo and Weddle said.

Necessary for budgeting

''Especially with the economy the way it is, for families that really need to budget, second hand is a way for people to be able to budget their dollars more,'' Angiulo said.

Angiulo and Weddle said they have customers from all socioeconomic brackets. Besides saving money, many families like the idea of helping the environment by recycling clothes.

If resellers and thrift stores weren't able to sell children's clothes, ''where do you put all of this stuff? It wouldn't have just been job losses,'' Weddle said.

Weddle said she has seen business pick up as the economic crisis has weighed heavily on people's minds.

''I believe the issue of this law created panic for the very reason that this would be one more avenue to save money that would be taken away from people in hard times,'' she said. ''I think that if the economy was not in its current state, the public would have overlooked the ramifications of this law on the resale retail industry.''

Operators of resale shops and thrift stores said they are always checking recall lists and safety notices to make sure their merchandise is safe and complies with the law.

Goodwill Industries of Akron, which has 10 stores in five counties, is investigating how the new law will affect its stores and is working with Goodwill Industries International to turn to the Consumer Product Safety Commission for guidance and clarification, said Beth Galambos, marketing and public relations manager.

Goodwill will continue to accept donations of children's clothing and toys and will continue to sell the items, as long as they comply with regulations, Galambos said.

Goodwill has four stores in Summit County, including a new store in Northfield Village. The other stores are in Lakemore, Tallmadge and in Akron on Waterloo Road. A store in Cuyahoga Falls on State Road closed on Jan. 3 as part of the sale of the State Road Shopping Plaza to the city of Cuyahoga Falls.

Galambos said Goodwill is looking for a new location in the area and all employees were transferred to other stores. Once a new location is chosen, it could open within six months, she said.





-------------------------------------------------------------​-------------------
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.