Philly AIDS Thrift turns 20! Come celebrate with an all-out block party this Saturday

Happy th birthday Philly AIDS Thrift The store a staple in the city s secondhand scene and queer group is throwing an all-out block party on Saturday to celebrate The festivities will honor the thrift shop s legacy of selling used clothing furniture books knickknacks art and more then donating the proceeds to LGBTQ and HIV AIDS amenity organizations I inevitably just say that we re longtime AIDS activists and lovers of junk And so we put those two things together and this is what we came up with announced Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou director and co-founder of Philly AIDS Thrift Kallas-Saritsoglou opened the shop in with her business partner Tom Brennan who has since retired Philly AIDS Thrift s annual block party Photo by Kory Aversa People know we really care she declared The mission it really means something to us I grew up in the s and the neighborhood was just devastated with people who were sick and dying and even though things are way better than they ever have been before people are still becoming infected There s still more that we can do until this thing is totally eradicated Over the past two decades Philly AIDS Thrift has moved into a larger location gained around paid staff and donated over million to more than HIV AIDS function organizations in the greater Philadelphia region In the beginning it was a much smaller space around the corner on Bainbridge Street and we were asking our friends to donate items Kallas-Saritsoglou revealed We were gathering things from our apartments and we were trying to fill up the store a little bit Gradually people started coming And we were like OK maybe this is gonna work Michael Byrne Philly AIDS Thrift board president is proud of how much impact the store has made over time The organization has donated to a variety of non-profits like the Attic Youth Center the Mazzoni Center MANNA the William Way LGBT Society Center Planned Parenthood and more They also have free biweekly HIV rapid testing in-store to help people stay on top of their status in a non-clinical space Expect the unexpected for Philly AIDS Thrift s th anniversary celebration Courtesy of Philly AIDS Thrift I have been on the board for over years I ve been a customer for all years he declared I love thrift stores but there s something about Philly AIDS Thrift that not only is it a great thrift store but it s a cool store and it authentically makes a huge difference in our locality Byrne is still astounded by the strength of Philly s district when it comes to supporting LGBTQ wellbeing particularly when paired with the power of a beloved used item We ve raised this money selling T-shirts and used bowls housewares and furniture and clothing and books he stated That s where all of this money has come from And that s because of the generosity of donors bringing us their gently used items but also our incredible customers who come in and buy It s really really phenomenal I think last month we had a increase over the previous year in sales which is amazing You re cordially invited Philly AIDS Thrift s th anniversary block party will take place Saturday from to p m in front of the store on South th Street All ages genders and sexual orientations are welcome to come to the free event There will be live music food trucks craft beers artisan vendors and even a sword-swallowing fire-breathing clown babe Kallas-Saritsoglou explained the latter is a performer named Dr Reverend MacKenzie Moltov They call her the clown babe she explained She s really awesome I think she s one of the world s first sword-swallowing female clowns She does fire-breathing The block party will include kids entertainment and games Photo by Kelly Burkhardt In addition to the pyro-theatrics there will also be a celebrity dunk tank featuring Philly icons Guests can also sign up for a very messy pie-eating contest The contest will be put on in partnership with MANNA as a promotion ahead of its annual Thanksgiving charity event Pie In The Sky My favorite thing is the pie-eating contest Byrne declared Watching people eat a pie with their hands behind their back It s truly revolting and hysterical at the same time Attendees can expect a variety show of fun at the block party Philly AIDS Thrift is getting the neighborhood shops participating with other vintage and craft vendors including South Street Art Mart Crash Bang Boom South Fellini Tamme Handmade and IXIJ Art Competitors get ready to scarf down certain mixed-berry pie Photo by Kelly Burkhardt It s a really really good time Byrne announced There s unfailingly great food trucks there but the vendors are constantly really varied with lots of cool stuff A dream come true In an era of fast fashion and next-day Amazon delivery it s impressive that a brick-and-mortar store has been able to give so much back However for Kallas-Saritsoglou the enduring impact of Philly AIDS Thrift is far from a mystery You ll likely find a better quality of items at our thrift store she stated In this day s world with the internet you can buy anything anytime you want and get it the very next day But there is something to be explained about the hunt and the search for that perfect item And I don t think that will ever ever go away The party takes place this Saturday from to p m Photo by Kelly Burkhardt Philly AIDS Thrift has been around for a lot of historical moments from major milestones in the queer comunity like the creation of the National HIV AIDS Strategy the legalization of gay marriage and the rise in trans visibility and recognition to tougher times including another global pandemic and a backlash against that wave of progress In the past year numerous queer organizations have dealt with uncertain federal funding cuts a few of which affect the very same organizations that Philly AIDS Thrift supports including Bebashi Transition to Hope Planned Parenthood and the William Way LGBT District Center It s getting harder with funding right now right Kallas-Saritsoglou mentioned And so I think for us we re really happy that we re able to help those types of organizations Philly AIDS Thrift s All at Once Mural Photo by Streets Dept Kallas-Saritsoglou doesn t see the store stopping in its mission shining a spotlight on HIV AIDS and uplifting Philly s LGBTQ locality any time soon It s amazing that we re hitting this -year milestone she disclosed Being able to give away million it s in fact million at this point I don t want to be like it s a dream come true but it kind of is To learn more and receive updates on the PhillyAIDSThrift block party you can check out their website or follow PhillyAIDSThrift on social media The post Philly AIDS Thrift turns Come celebrate with an all-out block party this Saturday appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY