New Resale Shop to Open in East Alton

EAST ALTON - A new resale shop will celebrate its grand opening in East Alton.

From 1–5 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, 2024, Soothing Sprout Resale Shop will host a grand opening party at 100 E. St. Louis Avenue in East Alton. The shop sells a variety of antiques, clothing, collectibles and more. Owner Megan Weller is excited to promote sustainability through the shop.

“I have been into human rights activism in the local area and Alton specifically. This is another step into that activism,” Weller said. “My biggest thing is I realized that if I’m going to be able to make an impact myself, then I have to take action rather than complaining about things or being depressed about it. I have to take action and I have to take steps forward.”

Weller explained that she encourages the reduce, reuse and recycle model at the shop. Not only are all of the items secondhand, but she also uses eco-friendly biodegradable bags and digital receipts to cut back on waste.

She said this will help the community by eliminating some of the litter in the area. She also hopes to see more people repurposing and refurbishing items instead of buying new.

“My vision is to encourage local consumers to buy used and secondhand to help alleviate the influx of the consumerism, of packaging and just buying new all the time,” she said. “It’s more eco-friendly, it’s cheaper and it’s more sustainable overall. And it would help our local community stay with small businesses and kind of help our local communities flourish.”

Weller bought the inventory of Puskar’s Secondhand Treasures earlier this year. She said the response has been “very good” so far, with many people expressing their excitement for Weller and the rebranded shop.

Looking forward, Weller hopes to plan charitable events to help people throughout the Riverbend region. She already has one event in the works, with more information coming soon on the official Soothing Sprout Resale Shop Facebook page.

She hopes to see a lot of community members at the grand opening on May 11, where they can enjoy free refreshments and specials on most of the inventory.

“It feels surreal,” Weller said. “I’ve been putting so much work and time and love into everything and just trying to get everything organized and set up. So now that we’re this close to opening, I’m like, okay, now it’s crunch time. We have these few last minor details and then everything will be ready. It’s crazy to think it’s this Saturday.”

For more information about Soothing Sprouts Resale Shop and their grand opening on May 11, 2024, visit the official Facebook event page.

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