Today we’d like to introduce you to Teresa Smith.
Hi Teresa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and reared in a modest home in West Columbia where I attended school including college at the University of South Carolina. My home life was challenging as I grew up with an alcoholic father. Although I had a mother who did the best she could under the circumstances, I often wonder if one of the reasons I was so drawn to animals was to find unconditional love. I had several dogs as pets growing up and they brought me so much comfort and companionship.
After high school, I majored in Advertising/Public Relations in college and ultimately ended up in sales… medical sales specifically for the majority of my career. I have always been an animal lover and had pets. After about 20 years in outside medical sales, I was taking some time off for a surgery and became involved in a movement in West Columbia to end the unnecessary killing of free roaming cats in the area. While researching this issue it became quite evident that everyone needed money to help their rescue organization and advocacy efforts. Since my background was heavily sales oriented, I began brainstorming ways to raise money for these organizations. I had always thought of starting a retail store of some kind but finally decided on a non-profit thrift store that would raise money for animal rescue organizations. I found St. Paws Thrift Store in Colorado who was already doing this and befriended the founder. We decided to open a St. Paws Thrift Store in West Columbia that would raise funds for multiple organizations (as opposed to being tied to just one group.) I operated St. Paws Thrift Store under the Colorado non-profit for about 3 years before founding my own non-profit, Southern Paw Partners, Inc., in South Carolina. We continued to use the St. Paws Thrift Store name until I sold the store to one of the groups that we donated to at the end of 2019.
I took a break for about 2 years (COVID was in full swing) and decided to start back up as Thrifty Paws Boutique (still under the Southern Paw Partners, Inc. non-profit.) The concept was similar but focused more on only selling the best donations we received (hence… a boutique instead of a regular run of the mill thrift store.) Thrifty Paws Boutique opened in February of 2022 and has been going strong ever since! Everyone says it looks more like an antique or gift shop than a thrift store!
Since beginning this journey, we’ve donated over $157,000 to 38 different animal welfare and rescue organizations and individual welfare cases. We operate the store with only two full-time employees and a handful of volunteers. It’s a passion project that I hope will continue for many years to come.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Growing up was challenging mainly because of an alcoholic father but I think that was one of the reasons I was so drawn to animals. The challenging part of operating the non-profit business is primarily just managing overhead. We found early on that we couldn’t sufficiently run the store with just volunteers (not always dependable) so it was imperative to have paid employees. Although paying employees and the other costs involved with that (rent, utilities, etc.) is challenging, we have found a way to make it work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
One of the things I’m most proud of in my career was when I worked for a company called Cytyc Corporation. We were responsible for bringing to market a new and improved cervical cancer test. This test helped to cut down on unnecessary repeat tests because it was more sensitive and specific but also was better at identifying disease… earlier. I felt like I was part of something really important that helped improve women’s healthcare. Similarly, I believe that the work we do with raising money for animal rescue and welfare efforts is helping to increase advocacy and improve the lives of animals in our community. I’m committed to educating customers, donors and the public on the challenges of animal rescue and the need for spaying and neutering to control the pet population. Being a part of change for the better is important to me and something I think people think of when they speak of me.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see the thrift store industry growing leaps and bounds over the next 5-10 years. Thrift stores are popping up everywhere, both for-profit and non-profit. As people are more conscientious with their money and where they spend it, it’s becoming a trend to get the most for your money and also help with causes like animal rescue and environmental advocacy. One of the things we see is that people have “so much stuff.” Particularly clothing. Most clothing ends up in landfills. By recycling/reusing these items, it protects the environment AND helps our mission to help animals. Every year, more and more people are seeing the benefits of thrift shopping instead of buying new. It’ an exciting thing to see!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thriftypawsboutique.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thriftypawsboutique/
