Go ‘treasure’ hunting at Trove

A store that sells vintage, gently used, and pre-loved items just opened besides Kylie’s Bakeshop in Gualo Rai.

Owner Carlene Atalig Mitchell said she opened Trove just this past Monday, July 5, to help the community make ends meet during the downtime brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is the best time to open this kind of shop because people are trying to find ways to make their dollar stretch and, with our pricing model, they can save a lot by purchasing from us and use their savings for other necessities,” she told Saipan Tribune.

While Trove retails secondhand products, Mitchell assured their top-rate quality and invites everyone to shop for that one-of-a-kind item. “Trove is a collection of treasures, valuable, and delightful things. Our store is just that. You never know what treasure you will find with us. We offer new, gently used (you’d think they are new), and vintage. We thrive on rescuing goods and giving it another chance to be loved. We love recycling, repurposing, and reusing items,” she said.

Vintage and pre-loved stores like Trove recently became popular in the United States and Mitchell hopes the CNMI would be the next frontier. “This is such a trend in the mainland and I am so proud to bring the thrifting experience here with quality goods and clothing. What’s been the bestseller so far? Vintage! I didn’t bring a huge selection, as I wasn’t sure what the response would be to vintage. My curators in the U.S. mainland have since secured an amazing inventory of vintage…coming soon!”

Besides the donations Mitchell receives from friends and associates in the U.S. mainland, the thrift store also employs curators that purchase from warehouses of surplus donated items. “The only difference is we handpick the A+ branded and trending items,” she said.

Trove is also a business that extends help to charities, with 10% of their sales immediately set aside to donate to Miracle Hands Charity and Karidat Social Services.

Aside from helping these non-profits, Mitchell says her family also gets to benefit. “We believe in youth sports and the good it has done to my six boys. Yes, I have six boys and so we are also working on helping out a local basketball team. Basically, the Trove is here to offer thrifted goods and help the community,” she said.

Trove is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 11am to 6pm. For more information, call 284-0611.