Ring in spring with Council Resale’s Spring Showcase

SOUTHFIELD — As the snow mounds slowly begin to melt away and the tulips persevere through Michigan’s on-and-off relationship with the sun, many welcome spring by purging their closets.

Council Resale, one of the oldest resale shops in metro Detroit, opened its doors in 1934 as a means to support the philanthropic efforts of the National Council of Jewish Women, Michigan, which was founded in 1891. Metro Detroit’s spring-cleaning ritual provides Council Resale with a new array of pastel colors and lightweight clothing ranging from Old Navy to designer and casual to cocktail.

Council Resale welcomes these donations with their annual Spring Showcase, to be held noon-4 p.m. Sunday, March 26. For thrifty shoppers, they can preregister for $25 to shop the VIP event from 10 a.m. to noon for early access to the spring collection, which will not be put out on the floor until that day. Leading up to the event, Council Resale will also host their “$25 Fill-a-Bag Sale” 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 23.

Shoppers can rest assured knowing that the proceeds from their purchases are going towards many benevolent ventures, such as The BackPack Project, a program that gives over 1,000 backpacks to Oakland County children; the Green Committee, which uses “plarn” — yarn made from recycled plastic bags — to create mats for homeless people to sleep on; and Kosher Meals on Wheels. In addition to the group’s many programs, they also do advocacy for social issues, such as human trafficking, gun violence and reproductive freedom.

The Michigan chapter includes around 1,400 members and is run by Sallyjo Levine, who became president in July. Levine began volunteering with the organization over 25 years ago through their Children’s Advocates program, in which they would send a volunteer into a child’s home to make sure that they are being well taken care of and then report their findings back to the court. Levine explains that being president is all about the community and the people she’s met throughout the years through volunteering. The group could not run without volunteers, she said.

“We have around five paid staff members in the office and nine employees at the store. I’m a volunteer, and most of the people here are volunteers. It’s wonderful because so many people jump at the chance to help out, whether it’s something like Spring Showcase, they’re very willing to volunteer. It’s really nice, too, because you make a lot of connections and good friends.”

As Council Resale gears up for the big Spring Showcase, Sandi Matz, a longtime volunteer at the store and a former president of group, explained that even though the store did close briefly back when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, when the time came to reopen, the store was piling up with donations. The donations became so overwhelming that they eventually rented a pod for a short period of time for extra storage before eventually moving some inventory to a storage unit.

“I could just stand here all day looking at the new inventory,” Matz said. “There are treasures on these racks. Like I might go up to a rack and find a designer item that got on there by mistake and make off with a $75 skirt for $12. I love that the store has treasures. That’s the reason why people come in so often, because there’s always something new being put out every single day.”

Council Resale is located at 3297 W. 12 Mile Road in Berkley and is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays. Both women’s and men’s clothing, as well as shoes, accessories and home decor donations, are welcome every day except for Wednesdays. To find out more about the Spring Showcase and Council Resale, visit: https://councilresale.net.