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Positively Philadelphia: Philly AIDS Thrift Moves Into A New Home

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - If it weren't summer, you'd think it was Christmas, with so many people browsing and buying at the new Philly AIDS Thrift store at 710 South 5th Street.

"We're the department store thrift store," says Christina Kallas-Saritsoglou, the co-founder and manager of Philly AIDS Thrift. "We have so many rooms in this place now. We have the vintage room, we have Dollar Land, we have Fancy Land. We have the media room. We have things for free."

And so far, they have raised a lot of money.

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The front window of the new Philly AIDS Thrift store. (Credit: Lauren Lipton)

"In September, it'll be $300,000. Our tagline is 'Shop, donate, volunteer,' because without the shoppers, without the donors and the volunteers, we wouldn't exist. And so we need more of everything."

Paris was shopping with her daughter for, "Basically shorts. Anything reasonable."

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Paris shopping the racks at the new Philly AIDS Thrift store with her daughter. (Credit: Lauren Lipton)

Christian Stuempfig is involved with processing and pricing the thousands of donations that pour in. She says people donate some really unusual items, "We got in a human skull, cow horns, Civil War rifle, a cannonball--and it almost broke (assistant manager) Adam's foot. One time, someone donated -- what was it? -- a $15,000 platinum and diamond men's bracelet or woman's anklet. Like (whistles), nice piece, you know?"

Now I like to really get into my stories, so I had to buy a number of things, but I left the five-foot cherub candelabra lamp for you.

That's Positively Philadelphia!

Reported by Lauren Lipton, KYW Newsradio 1060

Positively Philadelphia main page.

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