Interview with Hayden Gharibyar, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I’ve always wanted to help the community and I saw the thrift store as an extension of that. I’m a pharmacist, and I was travelling for a while. When I came back, I knew I wanted to do something outside of traditional pharmacy, so I found the building and leased it. I just wanted something different, something my wife and family can eventually take over.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: We actually buy and trade, which his not something that other thrift stores do. A lot of people will come in with clothing that is in really good condition, so they trade us their clothes and then pick out new clothes. Also, about 70 percent of the merchandise here is brand new items at thrift store prices that we get from partnerships we have with suppliers.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: That it’s a challenge. It’s a new business and I’ve never owned this type of store, so there’s a lot of learning. I enjoy finding out what the customers want and then meeting that demand as well as fulfilling the community need.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Marketing and exposure to a wider audience is challenging because we just opened. People are familiar with similar thrift stores in Cherry Creek or Arvada, but people don’t know about us just yet.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: I’m a pharmacist by trade. I have a side online business for health consulting that I work on, but owning a thrift store is a bit outside the normal practices of a pharmacist. We are very easy going at the store and committed to helping the community. One time, a man came in and said he was starting a new job that day and didn’t have any clothes to wear. His pants were torn and dirty, so we just told him to pick out some stuff and get ready for work. We sometimes function as a charity in that respect.
Profile
Business: Quality Thrift Store
Address: 8411 Pecos St., Suite H, Federal Heights
Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday
Founded: 2014
Contact: 303-650-1975,
Employees: 2
