Kyoto YWCA Thrift Shop

Re-cycle and Re-use

The Kyoto YWCA Thrift Shop holds twice monthly sales of donated household and clothing items to raise funds for our community service programs. We also have twice yearly "big bazaar" sales, which include a variety of local vendors.

We promote re-use and re-cycling to help create a more sustainable lifestyles. All staff members are volunteers.

The Kyoto YWCA is a non-profit community service organization.

Thrift Shop Sale Schedule

Twice Monthly Sales

1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month

(except during August and the Christmas/New Year's holidays)

11:00 ~ 14:00

1st Saturday: clothing, scarves, shoes, bags and kitchenware

3rd Saturday: clothing accessories, shoes, bags and Japanese kimonos.

Twice Yearly "Big Bazaars" -- Our biggest sales of the year!

1st Saturdays of June and December

10:00 ~ 15:00

Thrift Shop Donations

The Kyoto YWCA Thrift Shop relies on donations of items from the public.

What to Donate:

We request excellent quality household items and clothing -- "almost new" is the best. Unlike organizations like the Salvation Army or Goodwill in the U.S., we do not have the capability to deal with items in poor condition. Often times we receive items which are basically trash -- in which we have to deal with at our own expense.

A good rule of thumb is: Would you by this?

So, if you have a t-shirt that has been washed a thousand times and looks like it, maybe you should use it as a cleaning rag instead of donating it to us.

"In Season" clothing, please.

As with everyone in Japan, we have very limited storage space -- so please donate clothing that is appropriate for the current season. For example, people often want to donate their winter coats to us in March -- and we simply don't have the space to keep these items until December when they would be sold.

We appreciate your understanding in the matter.

Here is a seasonal guide:

May, June, July - SUMMER (Short Sleeve -- light weight)

August -- vacation month -- no donations please

Sept, Oct, Nov -- AUTUMN (long sleeves, medium weight)

Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb -- WINTER (long sleeves, heavy weight)

Mar, Apr, -- SPRING (long sleeves, light weight)

Donations: What We Need:

After years of experience, we have found what items sell and what don't

Items we need include:

Women's Clothing
Men's Clothing
Children's Clothing
Shoes
Bags, Hats, Scarves and Gloves
Jewelry and Other Small Accessories
Kimonos and New Undergarments
Miscellaneous Kitchen and Small Household Items

Items we do not need:

Denim Jackets
Men's Suits
Ski Clothing
Uniforms
Children's Clothing over 130cm, Children's Shoes, Stuffed Toys
Furniture
Japanese Books
Records, CDs, Video Tapes
Glass of Any Kind
Heavy or Plastic Dishes
Give-away or Sample Items

All clothing items should be washed (and pressed if appropriate). Please -- no stained, torn or well-worn clothing. Also, we do not need hangars or paper and plastic bags.

All household items should be clean and functioning. Please -- no obsolete items, such as video tapes or LP records.

We appreciate everyone's donatations and we hope that you understand the limitations we have to work within.

Thank you!

Where to Donate:

Kyoto YWCA Samaria-kan 1F (The old building in the back).

Please put your donations into the appropriate boxes in the hallway.

Sorry, we do not have car parking available.

(Map to YWCA)

When to Donate:

Donations are accepted on Friday and Saturday 10:00-16:00

Amounts to Donate:

Please try to donate no more than one large shopping bag at a time