Located in Salona Village Center, the Treasure Trove is a thrift store staffed entirely by volunteers. Throughout the week, the Treasure Trove has 75 to 100 volunteers, with at least 10 volunteers manning the shop every day. The Treasure Trove, the first of three (the other stores are located in Annandale and Springfield), has been in the Salona Village Center for 40 years, after moving from another location on Old Dominion Drive.
With a large display window, the Treasure Trove lures customers in with its broad selection. Inside the store, there is an array of items including clothing, toys, jewelry, dishes and much more. Customers can also shop at the lower level of Treasure Trove for children’s clothing and board games.
"Customers can expect a surprise, and they sometimes won't even know they're in a consignment shop. It's a very homey atmosphere for the volunteers and the customers," said Brenda Counts, the full-time manager.
The volunteers are more than happy to help customers find exactly what they're looking for. Some of the volunteers have been working at the Treasure Trove for many years.
"I enjoy being with other people all the time. At the Treasure Trove I get to meet a lot of new people; it's a busy place, and we have a lot of customers. It's just nice," said Iva Froehlich, a volunteer at the Treasure Trove since it was created.
The Treasure Trove was created by the Inova Fairfax Hospital Auxiliary over 40 years ago to benefit the many programs the hospital has, such as a clinic for children needing immunizations, cancer research, Life with Cancer support, and radiological 3-D treatments. Recently the Treasure Trove has partnered with the Inova Fairfax Hospital Auxiliary to help raise $3 million for the Inova Heart Institute, a 156-bed, state-of-the-art cardiac facility and helped raise $1 million each for the Women’s and Children’s Center and the Physicians Conference Center.
"They raise the most money out of all the volunteer programs at Inova Fairfax Hospital, and the Treasure Trove makes very substantial donations which, in turn, help to make a difference here at the hospital," said Anne Coffey, a member of the Inova Fairfax Hospital Auxiliary.
People who wish to have their belongings priced by the staff at Treasure Trove are asked to call and schedule a consignment date. The staff at Treasure Trove has had more than 30 years’ experience with consignments. The minimum consignment value per item is currently $4.50, and the owner receives 60 percent of the proceeds.
"I’m very happy with the fact that all our profit benefits Inova Fairfax Hospital; we’ve been very good," said Froehlich.
People looking for items from the past will be delighted to find what they're looking for at the Treasure Trove.
The Treasure Trove is open Monday to Wednesday and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 703-356-8704, or e-mail treasuretrove1@earthlink.net