10/31/2026
A heartfelt update from Lyndsey — please read and share. 💚
This is a post I have hoped I would never have to write.
The Giving Tree Topeka Inc., our nonprofit thrift store, will close its doors to the public on Saturday, November 7, at 6 p.m.
This community has helped make The Giving Tree so much more than a thrift store. You have donated belongings, shopped our shelves, shared our posts, and trusted us to help families during some of their hardest moments. Together, we have put those donations into the hands of people who needed them. That matters deeply to me, and so does every person who has been part of it.
I want to be honest with you about why we are closing.
Even with steady sales and generous community support, the cost of operating a store of this size has become more than we can sustain. Payroll alone has accounted for approximately three-quarters of our sales revenue, before paying rent, utilities, our loan, and other operating expenses.
For the past four weeks, I have personally covered payroll out of pocket to keep going and make sure our employees were paid. I share that because you deserve to understand how we reached this point. I cannot continue funding that gap, and we have to make a difficult change.
I am deeply grateful to our staff for the work they have poured into this place. This closure affects real people and families, and that weighs heavily on my heart.
For now, we need your help making these final days count. Please come shop, bring a friend, and share this post.
🛍️ FINAL THRIFT STORE SHOPPING DAYS
We are open 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday, October 31,
AND Monday November 2nd through Saturday, November 7.
10 A.M. - 6 P.M.
BLOW OUT SALE ALL NEXT WEEK!!! -
November 2nd–7th: EVERYTHING STOREWIDE IS 50% OFF!
Every purchase helps us meet our remaining obligations as we close the thrift store. If you have been meaning to stop in, this is the time.
SOMETHING NEW COMING:
There is still a way forward—and serving our community will remain part of it. 💚
WE PLAN TO OPEN 2 days a month to the public on Second Saturday weekends!
A separate business, Giving Tree Auctions LLC, is preparing to take over the space with a smaller team and a different way of operating. Shopping will move online through auctions, with local pickup available.
Through Giving Tree Auctions, we will continue partnering with community nonprofits, including Topeka Rescue Mission, where we currently donate hundreds of bags of clothing each week. We will continue providing donated goods to community partners and donate a portion of the new business’s proceeds to local nonprofits and ministries.
Your donations will continue to help make that possible—both by supplying items for auction and by providing goods we can pass along to organizations serving our neighbors.
Please keep donating! Donation drop-offs will continue after November 7.
📦 DONATION HOURS — EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY AND CONTINUING AFTER NOVEMBER 7
Thursdays and Fridays: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
After the nonprofit thrift store closes, donations will be accepted by Giving Tree Auctions LLC, a separate business from Giving Tree Topeka Inc.
We will share a fuller announcement next week explaining the new auction business, how to shop online, how local pickup will work, and when everything will begin. Please stay connected to this page for those updates.
To everyone who has supported The Giving Tree: thank you. Thank you for helping us care for our neighbors. Thank you for seeing purpose in donated things and possibility in people’s lives. Thank you for making this place part of your own story.
I wish we could keep going as we have been. I am heartbroken that we cannot, but I am hopeful that this change will give us a sustainable way to keep working, giving, and supporting the community we love.
With love and gratitude,
Lyndsey
