One definition of the phrase “Cherry Pick” describes it as the act of choosing something with great care, which aptly describes the manner in which items are chosen for Cherry Picked, a local thrift store along Pico Boulevard.
Yes, the clothing is used, but that’s where the “thrift store” aspect ends and the Cherry Pickin’ begins. You won’t see dirt marks, rips or tears in the clothes because Bernadette “Mike” Roncone fixes those aspects before they go out on the sales floor.
This past weekend Cherry Picked celebrated its first year of service to the Santa Monica Community. By holding an Open House Extravaganza on Saturday, August 7th, so the community get to know them. While they battled the Grand Opening of Santa Monica Place, and beautiful beach weather, the customers that came were still treated with Royalty. Then again, the Cherry Picked Organization already has a strong community presence. That’s because Cherry Picked has formed many partnerships within the Santa Monica community, already in just one short year. In addition to “Buy/Shop Local Santa Monica,” places like Harvest Home, (St. Augustine Volunteer Emergency Services) SAVES , and (Independent Transportation Network) ITN, which also have ongoing relationships with Cherry Picked, but founder Justine Roncone wants to serve more. She is looking for non-profit organizations involved with Animal Rescue, Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation, and ones that support the United States Military to partner with. “We appreciate all that the neighborhoods have provided by means of donations, and volunteer assistance and hope to get more people actively involved in supporting our efforts,” Roncone said.
Originally founded in 2004 in the Palms/Culver City area, the store was forced closed after seven brief months due to flooding. Currently, the store runs through the assistance and volunteering of the local community.
“One of our missions is to restore the faith in community non-profit,” she said. “ So many of them have taken money and misapplied the use of it.” In today’s society and economy, it’s nice to get five-star stuff at a one-star price, all while supporting the community. When you walk into Cherry Picked, you immediately get a sense of family and community. Whether it’s the complimentary assortment of treats by the register (donated by local Starbucks), or the fun things they do for their customers such as “private party shows,” dressing up the dogs, or taking fun and spontaneous pictures, the store will amaze you one way or another.
“I think what sets our store apart from other thrift shops is our personalized treatment that we try to offer to our customers,” Roncone said. “We work hard to keep it clean, organized, and quaint by being attentive to the needs of our customers on an individual basis wherever possible. We strive to provide what our customers want or need and in doing so, have retained their loyalty in return.”
I urge you to stop in say hello, congratulate them on one year of serving the Santa Monica community.
Cherry Picked Gift shop is located at 2809 Pico Blvd in Santa Monica. You can also check out the website at www.cherrypickedthriftshop.org for more information, announcements, sales items and the store’s “wish list” of needs.
