Secondhand goods are getting a second chance in Central Square. Local, youth-serving nonprofit More Than Words announced on Monday a revitalization of the Cambridge Boomerangs thrift store that closed in June.
The revived thrift, to be named Boomerangs by More Than Words, is expected to breathe life into the since-vacant 563 Massachusetts Ave. storefront by the end of the year.
“We see this as an opportunity to honor the rich legacy that Boomerangs built over two decades while also allowing us to extend the reach of our programs and empowering young people who are in need of additional support,” said Jodi Rosenbaum, founder and chief executive of More Than Words, in a press release.
The new Boomerangs will be staffed by current More Than Words alumni and house “curated secondhand fashion, accessories, books, home goods and music, and will continue the legacy of mission-driven thrift in Cambridge,” according to the statement.
More Than Words staffs young adults in Greater Boston aged 16 to 24 in the foster care or court system or who are out of school or unhoused. Boomerangs by More Than Words will serve as an expansion of its mission to steward youth “to take charge of their lives by taking charge of a business.”
“We look forward to seeing the positive impact this store will have on both the local economy and the lives of young people in need of support,” said Michael Monestime, president of the Central Square Business Improvement District.
Open since the 1990s
Boomerangs, founded in the mid-1990s by AIDs Action and absorbed by Fenway Health’s public health division in 2013, was originally a culvert on Boston’s Canal Street for the belongings of people who died from AIDs-related complications. The Canal Street location’s three offspring locations went on selling preloved clothes, books, furniture and knickknacks to support HIV/AIDs care and services.
Fenway Health closed all three locations in June, citing financial issues that had been spiraling for six years.
“Boomerangs was built with love, passion and a sense of community and so it was a very difficult – yet necessary – decision to close the stores,” said Jordina Shanks, chief executive of Fenway Health in the press release.
Options to keep the Boomerangs open were explored; the nonprofit said as it closed the stores that it was accepting offers from other potential buyers. “It truly fills my heart to see the work we started in the spring with More Than Words come to fruition and see them now take the baton to move the vision of Boomerangs forward,” Shanks said.
Back in business
In a “gesture to the longtime mission” of the original storefronts, More Than Words said it is donating 1 percent of the first three months of sales from the new Boomerangs to support Fenway Health’s HIV services.
The nonprofit’s online operations and physical South End and Waltham locations that specialize in books and artisan goods amassed $3.6 million in revenue in the fiscal year 2023, according to its annual report.
Mayor E. Denise Simmons said in the statement that she is “thrilled” to welcome the new iteration of Boomerangs to Central Square.
“It’s so important for our community to have spaces like this, where young people can gain skills, confidence and a sense of purpose, and the connective tissues within our community can be strengthened,” Simmons said.
Existing skills
As for More Than Words diving into consignment retail for the first time, Rosenbaum told The Boston Globe it is “well-equipped” to operate Boomerangs.
“This is our core competence,” Rosenbaum told the Globe. “We will be able to leverage our fleet of trucks that are already out on the road picking up stuff. We will be able to leverage our warehouse where our young people are already sorting books and clothing, and leverage the leadership and the staff and the deep wisdom of our young people who’ve already learned to do some of this at More Than Words and can extend it to Boomerangs.”
More Than Words said it is looking to possibly revitalize the now-shuttered Jamaica Plains Boomerangs location, but will not expand to the South End location, as the area is already home to its bookstore.
For now, donations in Boston
Until Boomerangs by More Than Words opens its doors in Cambridge, the nonprofit is accepting “gently used books, clothing, records and small household items” at its Boston and Waltham locations, and existing donation bins and throughout the region.
In the statement on Monday, Rosenbaum reassured loyal Boomerangs patrons: “Boomerangs is an institution worthy of preservation, and while it may have a slightly different feel to longtime customers, it is important to know that our sense of commitment to communities often overlooked is very much aligned.”
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