New Beginnings Thrift Winter Garden

If there was a zero I would put that in but IThe two reviews that you see before mine were given while I was the manager of the store. I was hired under the assumption of helping people get better lives and put a roof over their head and that was the main goal of the store. However after several months of working there sadly I have come to see that is not the case. WHAT you see on the outside isnt so on the inside. What the public sees is lots of galas, social media, community fundraisers and loads of pictures showing what they would like you to believe. But in reality very few people are helped, very few people even are allowed to go into the home and live unless you have strict rules and regulations and can work 40 plus hours be 100% Christian and take religious classes as well as volunteer your time and have a water baptism. There is no internet allowed no smoking no drinking very little outside influence at all. This people have to work full time jobs and also volunteer their time lifting heavy equipment and such. And they wouldn’t help someone who just came in off the street homeless hungry and needing help. You had to fill out applications and wait on a waiting list that takes a very long time if you’re even approved at all which is slim to none. Very few people have actually completed the program. One was a young lady just recently and now all they do is plaster her picture in everything showing their great success. The sign out front of the store says we are here to help the local homeless which is an outright lie because really it’s all about the social status. And as far as the donations that they receive daily in all three stores it’s devastating to see that half of them just get thrown in the garbage and not even looked at or gone through. As a manager there I spent 90% of my time in the back trying to go through each and every box or bag of donations but it was heartbreaking to have my superiors come in and literally empty the room out into a garbage dumpster against all my begging. It was literally heartbreaking for me to see all the donations given in kindness tossed into garbage bags and into the dumpsters. And that order came right from the top. Large furniture and electronic donations were destroyed in the back at the Claremont location constantly. The staff would laugh and play while smashing televisions printers pianos dishes and so much more of which I have video. Not to mention that the staff regularly enjoyed bringing the top-​of-​the-​line things home everyday so all the office and administrative people right from the top down have homes filled with Lovely things that were supposed to be donated for the good of the local homeless. You can be darn sure the board members know nothing about all of this.

I really love this store. Not only do they resell donated items for an AMAZING price. They do it all for a good cause too. This isn’t just a Thrift store. This is a not-​for-​profit organization that helps the homeless in so many ways. If you’d like to know more about their organization then you can go to
or just go into this store and talk to the lovely people who run it and take a flyer home to look at.
I went in here looking for a decently priced coffee table because I had been to every other thrift store and good will in the Orlando area looking for one. But they all seemed to be around $ 45 and nothing I was in love with. Then I remembered my roommate telling me about this place right across the street from where we live. She talked about an upright piano that she had her eyes and heart set on. I went into the store and there it was. So I knew I was in the right place. The first room is a bit eclectic that has everything from books, movies, nick nacks, along with shoes and clothes for men, women and children. It’s nothing like the warehouse selection they have at some other stores, but I get overwhelmed in that kind of mess, so it was nice just to browse through.
The next area is mostly furniture. I couldn’t believe how many couches, tables, beds, chairs, mirrors, everything they had. The ladies asked me if I was looking for anything in particular and I told them a coffee table. They pointed me in the direction of a few but allowed me to look at and test all of them. Some of them were so large I couldn’t have fit them in my car. They do offer delivery for a price but I live just across the street and didn’t need a low rise dining room table anyway. Then finally I found one that was just about perfect. It was more square than rectangular like I originally wanted but it was sturdy, and not too stylized so it would fit perfect in my living room. Oh and get this. It was only $ 7! So I claimed it for my own. I bought it and they helped me take it to the side door and told me to pull my car up. We soon discover it doesn’t fit in my car so she goes and gets me a tool set and helps me take it apart and puts all the tiny pieces into a baggie for me. But as soon as I’m about to leave it starts to monsoon so the table travel had to be put on hold. But I’m glad it did because I got to look around some more. I got a book for what I think was $ 0.50 and I also learned about their free toy bin. Just a bin of toys that kids can take if they want. I thought it was the best idea ever until I saw the table with some random food items on it that said «Take me, I’m free.» It had some bagged apple slices, potatoes, tea, stuff like that. When they get food donations at the store they just put them out and if you want them you can have them. I thought it was such a great idea so I’m going to take some items there now. Stop in and have a look, you wont regret it.

I can’t say enough about New Beginnings. This is amazing stuff at amazing prices. There was a TV that would have been around 200 dollars at Best Buy at eight dollars at New Beginnings! That’s right, eight dollars. There are toys, VCR tapes, books, electronics, men’s and women’s clothes, it’s completely amazing. Just amazing, it’s like a whole wide library of mostly everything you need. There are large pianos to children’s toys. The staff is the best I’ve ever seen in a thrift store and they keep the building as clean and ship-​shape as they can. They are such great people. I’ll return!