Revivals celebrates 25 years with ‘Treasure Hunt’
Greg Archer Special to The Desert Sun
Silver anniversaries are a thing to savor. But when one comes along with vintage lamps, slick blue jeans and a slew of other eye-catching items from a local entity that gives back to the community, the allure may be even greater.
Enter Revivals Stores.
The longtime thrift store go-to, which donates 100% of its profits to Desert AIDS Project (DAP) to support comprehensive healthcare for 7,000 Coachella Valley residents, celebrates its 25th anniversary this month with a “Join the Treasure Hunt” campaign. Locals can nab 50% off on select items in stores through Nov. 25.
“We talk a lot about the ‘treasure hunt’ at Revivals,” says Dane Koch, DAP Director of Retail. “We’re making it more fun with this anniversary by placing a ‘25-year’ sticker on many items. If a customer finds that sticker, they can actually purchase it at 50 percent off. We have people coming through hoping that what they want has the special sticker on it.”
What began as one store on Vela Road near the Palm Springs Airport in 1995 has morphed into a well-known establishment for both locals and visitors. With stores in Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Palm Desert, Revivals has influenced the valley resale industry with its affordability and discoverability, and for creating a stellar trifecta: vintage, retail and philanthropy.
“Our No. 1 goal is to be profitable and support DAP,” Koch says. “We have consistently been able to contribute more than $1 million to DAP every year, and we are a substantial part of its fundraising.”
So much so that Revivals falls into the nonprofit’s resource and development department with all of its other fundraising areas. Equally unique is that the resale store is staffed by 180 volunteers who support DAP’s mission, cementing it as one the country’s most comprehensive HIV/AIDS service providers.
“Prior to DAP, I left retail because it had, in my opinion, gotten really ugly,” Koch says. “It was all about putting money in the pockets of shareholders. The most exciting thing for me in this role is that I can make a difference in somebody’s life, knowing that we aren’t creating somebody else’s wealth and the profits will really help others.”
Learn more at revivalsstores.com.
Greg Archer writes about change agents, happenstance, and the entertainment industry. His work has appeared in the USA Today Network, Palm Springs Life, Huffington Post, The Advocate and other media outlets. His memoir Grace Revealed chronicles his Polish family’s odyssey during WWII. gregarcher.com.
