Shirley’s Thrift Store reopens in Amherst, adds home goods

Matthew Day

Staff

February 2, 2026

AMHERST – Following a two-month pause to relocate, Shirley’s Thrift Store reopened in early January at 131 Mill St. in Amherst. 

When The Business News first reported on Shirley’s in its Oct. 13, 2025 issue, Owner Janis Barnett said the store, originally located in Weyauwega, had just celebrated its grand opening to resounding support.

Seeking to provide the region with an affordable, environmentally sound, community-oriented thrift store, Barnett said her business model includes standardized prices for clothing – i.e., all shirts cost $1.75, all dresses cost $5.00, etc. – while giving back 10% of sales to local nonprofits.  

After extensive renovations, Barnett said Shirley’s opened in the garage of her family home – believing the setup complied with all zoning regulations.

Unfortunately, she said, not long after opening, Waupaca County officials informed her this was not the case. 

“They gave us until Oct. 31 to basically try to commercialize our property,” she said.  

However, Barnett said initiating that process would have been exceedingly costly, would have increased her property taxes “horrendously” and, even then, the rezoning approval would not have been assured. 

She said she had decided to open the store on her property – as opposed to renting a separate space – to help keep overhead low and thereby sell the donated, curated clothing at minimal cost.

However, she said she recognized that was no longer an option, though she never considered giving up on the store. 

“This is what I want to do, and I’m going to keep chasing it, even though there were bumps in the road,” she said. 

An unintentional upgrade 

Shortly after the setback, Barnett said she discovered a viable commercial space in downtown Amherst – affordable and spacious – which helped turn her outlook from disappointment to positivity.

“It’s bigger than the garage [space] we had built,” she said. “I think it’s 650 square feet, so it’s a pretty decent size.” 

By more or less doubling her prior square footage, Barnett said the new location has “evolved” Shirley’s and enabled an expanded inventory beyond clothing, now featuring a variety of home goods.

Though standardized pricing is unfeasible for these items, she said they are still priced “very low.” 

Barnett said the new location and inventory have been well accepted, drawing “a really big turnout” since Shirley’s reopened. 

“Everybody in the community is saying, ‘Oh, this is exactly what we need…,’” she said. “Everybody is super excited it’s here.” 

More space and a broader inventory, Barnett said, have helped to encourage more donations from the community, thereby providing a positive place for used goods and apparel beyond national donation-based stores or, worst of all, landfills. 

“[Donors] can know their stuff is going to a good place,” she said. 

Barnett said the busier store has also made it possible to expand her team.
Though Shirley’s was temporarily waylaid, she said she feels it ultimately “happened for the greater good.” 

“I’m glad we were able to pivot to this store,” she said. 

In fact, Barnett said this size increase has her contemplating the benefits of even more square footage. 

“My next pivot – I just want a bigger place,” she said. “But I also don’t know if I would move this thrift store. I think I might want to open up a second location.”

Visit Shirley’s Thrift Store on Facebook for more information.