For the love of thrifting

When she was young, Rita Jackson would go treasure hunting with her mother, Shirley Jackson, at local thrift stores.

They’d search through Goodwill and rummage sales at Christ the King Catholic Church, looking for as many used gems as they could find, the Toledoan said.

“We used to call it treasure hunting because you never know what you’re going to find in the thrift store,” Ms. Jackson said.

Years later, she’s found herself running a treasure chest of her own in the form of Shirl’s Closet Thrift Boutique, which recently opened at 2615 W. Bancroft St. after a year of being a strictly online thrift store.

The business started as an appointment-only store in 2024, she said.

Since the in-person location opened its doors in 2025, customers have toured the small storefront, wading through a sea of new and donated clothes as well as homemade jewelry, candles, and beanies.

“I just want them to feel welcomed,” Ms. Jackson said of her customers. “Yes, we’re a small place, but we want to make you feel like you’re at home.”

Shirl’s Closet, which was named after her mother, is under the umbrella of Palmetto’s Gift Studios, her overarching company that includes her other endeavors. Rita Wraps sells handmade bonnets, shower caps, and bucket hats, and her nonprofit, Impact Toledo Inc., focuses on community issues like literacy and hosts an annual trunk-or-treat.

“I thought it was a good idea to start [a thrift store] here to help raise money for the renovations, and then I’m going to start a reading room” for Impact Toledo, she said.

Shirl’s Closet started soon after she bought the building in 2022, she said.

Ms. Jackson has been running Rita Wraps since 2017. She was looking for a designated workspace because “I just wanted to get out of my dining room,” she said.

“I wanted to find a space like a workshop,” Ms. Jackson said. “I walked past [the building] and I saw the sign and I said, ‘Huh, that looks like a nice space to work in.’ ... They gave me a great deal on it, and that’s all she wrote.”

Ms. Jackson isn’t the only one who has handmade items on display, she said. Many others were made by friends and family through their own businesses.

Her brother, Ramone Jackson, makes homemade candles and incense through his business, the Cotton Candle Company. His works are at the front of the store above a clothing rack.

Mr. Jackson said he’s always thought about opening a store of his own, so when Ms. Jackson told him her vision, he jumped at the chance to help his little sister.

“She’s the one that let me know, ‘Hey, you really got a good thing going with the candles and the incense. They really like that,’” Mr. Jackson said.

Ms. Jackson’s former basketball teammate, Danaea Benton of Dayton, sells sportswear out of the thrift store through her company, Naetivate Sportswear.

“Rita’s always been ... I like to call her a serial entrepreneur,” Ms. Benton said. “She’s actually a mentor, someone I can look up to. ... This was just another one of her many entrepreneur ideas that she was going to be successful with.”

Whitney Jones, a friend of Ms. Jackson’s sister, Jackie, said she’s found herself in the store for six hours before.

“I did not plan on that,” Mrs. Jones said. “I showed up because I was telling Jackie ... how I love to thrift, and she said, ‘Well, she finally opened it. Come check it out.’”

The longer she shopped in the store, the more she thought to herself, “This is only this price? This is only that price?”

“I’ve never experienced anything like that before,” Mrs. Jones said. “It’s a nice, small boutique. Great-priced items. I think I had about four different transactions because we’re talking and I’m looking at more stuff. ... It was a great experience.”

The ultimate plan for the space, Ms. Jackson said, is to use the profits from the thrift store to make renovations to the building and invest in her other businesses and the nonprofit.

“I’m doing everything with the help of family and friends and donations and [whatever] customers come in person,” Ms. Jackson said. “It’s basically on me. I’m not taking any loans out, I don’t have any grants or anything. I have to pay for the sign [outside] because I don’t have any visibility. It hasn’t been that great but, once again, I’m just starting out.”

“But the community response I’ve been getting has been amazing from the people coming in,” she added. “They love the store.”

Contact Eric Taunton at

etaunton@theblade.com.