Old School by Steeple People

Mission:

Steeple People Thrift Store DBA Old School by Steeple People serves the community by selling donated quality used clothing and household goods at affordable prices and donating profits to worthy charitable causes.

 Old School by Steeple People is a Minneapolis 501c3 nonprofit thrift store operating since 1979. We moved to 1901 Nicollet Avenue in the heart of the Stevens Square neighborhood in October of 2018. We love our community, our neighbors are amazing, and the pulse of the neighborhood can be felt deep in your heart. 

 We provide a place for folks to shop at reasonable prices for clothing, home goods, decor, and so much more. We offer a space for people to volunteer and give back directly to their community, as well as a place for folks to take a break from reality and browse through tons of thrifty treasures. Our shop would not be what it is without the help and love from our volunteers and customers. We donate excess clothing and needed home goods to local food shelves and shelters. When we operate at a surplus, we make grants to neighborhood social service organizations. Over our 40-year history we have given away nearly a million dollars. We are more than just a thrift store, we are working to make our direct community a better place for everyone. 

 Now, of course, we are not operating at a surplus. We are not operating at all and struggling to survive. We made the decision to temporarily close Old School by Steeple People to the public on March 16th to protect the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, and customers due to COVID-19. Originally our plan was to close through the end of March. As it stands now, Old School will re-open our doors when it is safe for all again. Right now our top priority is to help flatten the curve so we can all get back to business as usual. We send our love to everyone affected by this pandemic.

 Ultimately, we need your help. Even with help from our landlord and our employees on furlough seeking unemployment benefits, we still have monthly operational costs of over $5000 per month that we must pay (utilities, and employee insurance and retirement contributions) if we are to retain our store and mission. We are in regular contact with Joe, Molly, and Tammi to ensure that we will be able to open the doors again when this is all over. 

 We know that many are in need and many have limited funds available to help, but if everyone can toss a small donation our way it will help us out tremendously during this tough time. Thank you - we are all in this together, and we appreciate the heck out of you.
 

 The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)

 Under the CARES Act, donors can get a Federal income tax deduction for charitable contributions of up to 100% of their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI).

The bill makes a new deduction available for up to $300 per taxpayer ($600 for a married couple) in annual charitable contributions. This is particularly beneficial to people who take the standard deduction when filing their taxes (in other words for taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions). It is calculated by subtracting the amount of the donation from your gross income. It is an “above the line” adjustment to income that will reduce your AGI, and thereby reduce taxable income.

To qualify, you would have to give a donation to a qualified charity. If you have already made your donation since Jan. 1, that contribution counts toward the $300 cap. A donation to a donor-advised fund (DAF) does not qualify for this new deduction.