THRIFT SHOPS GET BOOT UNDER NEWHALL PLAN.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE

Staff Writer

NEWHALL -- The hole-in-the-wall thrift shops of downtown Newhall -- whose vintage goods are riding a trendy wave of popularity -- are a target of city efforts to redevelop the deteriorating business core.

The stores can stay put for now but are banned from relocating to storefronts in the redevelopment area.

"To not be included in redevelopment is very hard for us," said Jackie Hamby, president of Assistance League of Santa Clarita, whose chapter of the national group has furnished clothes and school supplies for thousands of local kids whose families couldn't afford them. Many kids live in the surrounding area. "The city won't let us buy space down here."

In December 2005 the Santa Clarita City Council adopted a specific plan for downtown Newhall. The area set for redevelopment is envisioned as a pedestrian-friendly arts and entertainment enclave with retooled zoning codes to permit denser commercial development.

But the shops can only sell new stuff.

"A store that sells used merchandise is not permitted in the downtown Newhall specific plan area," said Ben Jarvis, an associate planner with the city. He said the thrift stores are a legal nonconforming use, and will be allowed to stay at their present location.

The Assistance League has helped more than 800 children each year for the past 17 years -- providing shoes, clothes, backpacks and school supplies. The thrift store is its major source of revenue. This year it grossed about $150,000 -- a lot of change for a business in which staples sell for about $3 a piece.

According to the National Association of Resale and Thrift Shops Web site, resale is a multibillion dollar a year industry. It credits eBay with helping fuel the craze to own gently used goods.

The stores provide a retail alternative for folks on a tight budget and an adventure for savvy, thrifty shoppers poised to discover hidden treasure.

"These are the same people who make millions of dollars and go to garage sales... for many people it's all about the hunt," said Ellen Davis, the spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, the world's largest retail trade group.

"The word of the day is vintage -- everybody wants something that's old that can be new again," Davis said. "We see it a lot in Hollywood where a designer dress from the 1950s or '60s can be worn today with updated accessories."

Hamby nodded.

"Thrift store mavens can get designer names for practically nothing," she said. "We often have set directors come in looking for specific items of clothing for different movie sets."

Santa Clarita has patterned its redevelopment zone on those in upscale areas such as Pasadena and Santa Monica.

Eric Duyshart, Pasadena's economic development manager said cities need a combination of national retailers and mom and pop stores to create a unique sense of place, adding "there is admittedly a fine line between a mom and pop store that adds a kind of dynamic pedestrian retail experience and one that looks very unstable."

Pasadena is home to eight redevelopment areas. Thrift stores are found in most of them. As with Santa Clarita, the city worked with developers in an attempt to assemble properties for larger projects.

The goal was to make sure the new developments provided a balance of shopping choices, so conditions were in place in some cases to avoid a glut of thrift shops in one spot.

Jon Lait, Santa Monica's principal planner, said that the city values its diverse economic business base, which allows people to continue to shop even in a down economy. Through community workshops, the city, known for high property values, is trying to determine the uses people prefer.

"(We're trying) to provide stores so people don't have to get in the car to drive to them," he said. "If you can walk to your range of retailers instead of drive, it gets cars off the street, and we're trying to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment."

Marck Aguilar, redevelopment specialist in Santa Barbara, said thrift stores are completely appropriate in that city's redevelopment area. For the past decade or so economic, prosperity has forced popular thrift shops out, to Goleta and elsewhere where rents are lower.

Aguilar is a dedicated thrift store shopper, who would sojourn to his favorite spots with family members visiting from out of town.

"I love thrift stores downtown. I think everybody does," he said, noting that's his personal, not his official view. "It adds a lower end of shopping people can enjoy, really. You have standard chains and retail places, but it's nice to have a place that will have antiques or older items that aren't produced now."

It's bonus for those who are into recycling, he added.

Goodwill Industries International is projecting $1.8 billion in retail sales for 2006, and about 950,000 people benefit from its career programs, said Christine Nyirjesy Bragale, the company's spokeswoman, via e-mail.

Sales have grown steadily over the past decade, she noted. The company has even created its own Web site, though Bragale notes its not yet a rival for eBay.

Carmen's Closet is a smaller thrift store in the downtown Newhall area, which has seen similar shops fall by the wayside as rents have crept up.

The Assistance League's shop is on a stretch of San Fernando Road envisioned as the site for the city's first parking garage. If the city's project spurs its move, there may be some relief in sight.

The nonprofit's lease runs through 2009 and operators hope to reverse the city's stance on resale shops in the meantime.

"We've been proud to be considered the Nordstrom of Newhall for the past seven years, and we're hopeful we will have a place in its future," Hamby said.

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(color) The city of Santa Clarita wants the Assistance League thrift shop in Newhall moved. The city says the shop does not fit in with plans for the area.

David Crane/Staff Photographer