A woman-owned Anchorage thrift store pays it forward to Alaska charities

As a teenager, Brittani Clancey loved thrifting so much she dragged her parents to secondhand stores when the family took vacations outside Alaska.

She loved hunting for rare items and scoring clothes other Alaska kids didn’t have. Later, she appreciated the environmental benefit of recycling used items.

But a few years ago, she realized thrift stores could play a big role by helping Alaska charities.

In 2021, she launched FashionPact.

The boutique thrift store, with two locations in Anchorage, has given $250,000 in customer donations to about 100 Alaska charities since its inception, she said.

The money supports everything from helping abused women and children to rescuing pets.

At FashionPact, clothing donors and buyers select charities for earmarked donations. Thirty percent of the sale goes to the selected groups.

The business model is unique for thrift stores, she said. She’d like to see it replicated around the world.

“I’ve never heard of this anywhere else in the world, and I’m extremely proud of that,” she said. “Growing up in Alaska, it seemed like we got everything last. We’d see Sonic and OIive Garden commercials and we couldn’t eat there. Now, I tell people Alaska got something first.”

Customers select the charities on a touch-screen at the store, using a system set up by her husband, a programmer. A big digital screen above the counter tracks charities receiving donations and highlights their work.

“FashionPact is amazing,” said Kelly Donnelly, executive director of Alaska SPCA, in a phone interview.

The animal welfare group has received about $15,000 from FashionPact, Donnelly said. The money arrives in monthly checks, providing steady income.

“It’s something that’s really important for us to make sure our shelter pets get access to the medical care they need,” Donnelly said.

FashionPact has a mutually beneficial relationship with the charities. They encourage their supporters to donate items or shop at FashionPact and earmark their group for donations.

It hasn’t always been easy for the business.

FashionPact’s original location collapsed under heavy snow in 2023, destroying much of Clancey’s inventory.

At the time, she was about to open her second spot, a small, upscale women’s boutique, in the King’s Row mall at 221 E. Dimond Blvd., northeast of the Costco campus.

The timing was fortunate. She used the small shop to sell inventory that wasn’t destroyed in the collapse.

Last year, with help from a small insurance payout, she opened what is now her second location at 2520 E. 68th Ave. off Lake Otis Parkway.

It’s a general family thrift shop, she said. It sells clothing, shoes, home goods and other items, including Halloween costumes. There’s a $1 section with dishware, movies, board games and arts supplies.

On Thursday, FashionPact will hold one of its regular events at that Lake Otis store, where customers can meet people from Alaska nonprofits. The event runs from 5 to 7 p.m.

FashionPact still runs on threadbare margins.

Clancey said she has yet to take a paycheck, but hopes to soon.

“Knowing I’m having a real impact makes it worth it,” she said.

A former stay-at-home mom with four kids, she’s used to making ends meet, she said. And the business, with nine employees, recently turned a profit.

Abused Women’s Aid in Crisis, known as AWAIC, is a commonly earmarked charity, Clancey said.

Jeff Johnson, development director for AWAIC, said the group receives monthly paychecks from FashionPact that help with providing safe shelter, intervention and prevention of domestic violence.

AWAIC has received about $9,000 annually from FashionPact, he said.

“It’s very helpful,” Johnson said. “It goes into our general funds. The money is not restricted, so we can use it for wherever the need is.”

At the store on Tuesday afternoon, an employee rang up purchases marked for donations to groups like the Kenai Watershed Forum and Hope Community Resources, supporting people experiencing intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Betty Shellhamer, a retired bank clerk, purchased used clothing items and a $5 Gentle Leader pet halter, still in the box.

Shellhamer checked Friends of Pets for the donation.

Clancey, behind the counter, looked at her computer. She said Friends of Pets received $761 last month.

“Thank you for choosing them,” Clancey said.

Shellhamer said she’s a FashionPact regular. Donating to a good cause adds to the shopping experience, she said.

“It’s a good thing,” Shellhamer said. “It’s a perk.”