‘Tis the season for giving gifts, but there are multiple ways to go about it. One can pursue the latest and greatest electronics and gaming consoles or browse online shops from the comfort of home. But if one is on the search for something truly unique, thrift and consignment shops are where to go.

Georgia Stilwell, director of the Methodist Thrift Shop at 986 East Second Ave., said toys, shoes and especially clothing are the biggest sellers during the holiday season, in addition to Christmas decorations that are stockpiled over the year.

Old, beautiful dish sets, silver sets and porcelain dolls are among the more interesting items that filter in and out of the shop, she said.

Christmas ornaments, glass trinkets, small figurines and décor are also common items shoppers are searching for during the holiday season, she said. The Christmas lights “fly off the shelves.” On occasion, people even donate non-Christmas decorations, such as menorahs and dreidels.

For thrifters, the winter holiday season is not only a time to purchase items but a chance to clean out their homes too, Stilwell said.

The thrift shop seeks donations only and stores acquired items year-round. And its operation is fully submerged in the concept of the gift of giving. Nearly 100% of its profits are injected back into the community by the means of donations to other nonprofit organizations, she said.

This year, the Methodist Thrift Shop gave nearly $80,000 to groups such as Manna soup kitchen and Night to Shine, a celebration of people with special needs sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, she said.

Stilwell said the thrift shop accepts funding requests year-round, which are forwarded to its lead team for consideration. The Summit Church, which the thrift shop operates under, also might review funding requests. For example, the La Plata Veterans Outreach Center announced on Dec. 1 it is receiving an $18,000-plus donation from the Summit Church for operational expenses.

The thrift shop also accepts annual funding requests for larger projects, which, if approved, are delivered in quarterly payments the next year, she said.

“People just have to fill out a funding request form, so it’s good to get the word out. It felt really good that we were able to give back that much this year,” she said.

And, some of the thrift shop’s proceeds contribute to mission trips conducted by Summit Church, she said. Beanies, hats and headscarves were recently donated to a Panama-based cancer foundation.

She said people sometimes get emotional when donating a treasured item.

“Occasionally, people will tell you their story and it is an emotional time for folks,” she said. “Or if someone is bringing in their parents’ items, that’s extremely emotional.”

Items found at thrift stores and consignment shops often have stories of their own, whether related to their previous owners or created by new buyers.

The story that stuck out for Stilwell this year centered around a Florida couple who dropped by the Methodist Thrift Store where they discovered an old family heirloom that had been sold 48 years ago during a garage sale in Ohio.

Lindsay Dalton, owner of NoMAD, a thrift and consignment store at 919 Colorado Highway 3, said she has stories of shoppers whose purchases shed a glimpse into their lives.

She said she considers everyone who walks through her doors to be an interesting character – and she tells people she is “thrifting all my friends” because she’s met so many great people she meets with outside the store now.

One story she found entertaining was about a man in his late 70s who visited her store to buy a set of three unique items, one for each of his three girlfriends.

“So he’s got his three girlfriends that are each going to get this unique but not-so-unique item. And I thought that was hilarious,” she said.

Another time, a regular customer visited the shop while her husband went off to do errands. She spotted a “gorgeous” silver fox fur and asked if she could wear it out of the store as if she bought it when her husband returned.

The fur originally cost $6,000 and was for sale at NoMAD for $1,000, Dalton said. She said she couldn’t wait to see the husband’s face.

“So she goes strutting out the door and we both watch his face as his eyes just became huge,” she said.

The next day, the husband came back to the shop and bought the fox fur for his wife,“ Dalton said.

She said thrift and consignment stores are the place to find one-of-a-kind items and it warms her heart when someone sees an item that just speaks to them. She is running a holiday “gift of thrift” where gift cards are available to spread the joy of the hunt.

“You’re having a one-of-a-kind experience in that moment,” she said. “It’s just beautiful to see people value and cherish items that other people didn’t want anymore.”

Julie Dunn Brown, co-owner of ReLove Consign & Design, 110 East Fifth St., agreed that unique and one-of-a-kind items are the best reason to do one’s gift shopping at thrift and consignment stores.

Her business, which she co-owns with her daughter, Paige Denier, has more than 3,400 consignors. Some of them have worked with ReLove for eight years while others are temporary or short-term.

At ReLove, furniture and décor are the hottest holiday items, she said. People making last-minute preparations for at-home holiday celebrations with friends and family suddenly realize they don’t have a guest coat rack or a proper place for suitcases.

“As far as Christmas and holidays and buying, this is a treasure trove,” she said. “Every time you walk in here there’s something different.”

Denier, Brown’s daughter, contributed to ReLove’s layout with her knowledge of interior design and structural interior design, Brown said. Brown bought her daughter old and used architectural and design books for Christmas when Denier was in college.

ReLove also recently opened a sister store, WeeLove Consign & Design, a children’s store featuring “gently used” children’s clothing and accessories for newborns to sizes 10-12, she said. Most of the items are brand new because it’s common for gifted children’s clothes to not fit by the time they’re received.

“There’s beautiful art from local artists,” she said. “No cribs, strollers, nothing like that. Just clothes and some beautiful little room accessories.”

cburney@durangoherald.com