GLENDALE : Everything Old Is New Again at NU2U Thrift

NU2U.

It looks like something that belongs on a personalized license plate. But actually, it’s the name of a new thrift shop that Glendale Teen Center and YWCA officials hope to eventually develop into a job-training program for teen-agers.

Scheduled for a trial run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, the NU2U store at the Glendale Fashion Center, 233 N. Glendale Ave., aims to sell racks of donated clothing, furniture, housewares, shoes, books and sporting equipment--priced from as low as a nickel up to $900, officials said.

“It’s sort of like a garage sale,” said Sheila Ellis, founder of the Glendale Teen Center. “It’s used goods, but it’s new to you . . . We have a pool table, an air hockey table, a grand piano. “The YWCA and the Teen Center felt this is a really good way to raise money . . . and to provide money for teen jobs.”

Ellis, four teen-agers from the center and YWCA officials have worked on the project since late last fall. The YWCA came up with the idea as part of an effort to expand its own in-house thrift shop, which is too small to store large merchandise such as furniture.

“We thought it would be a perfect opportunity to involve teens so they could get job training and actually get work experience, which empowers them to get better jobs,” said Anne Stanfield, YWCA board president.

In a month’s time, both organizations collected hundreds of donated items for the store.

Because office space at Glendale Fashion Center was offered on a temporary basis, organizers decided to use today’s opening and at least one more day to see how the program would run and whether it could attract a steady flow of customers.

Students participating in the program will first serve as volunteers, working as clerks or cashiers. Depending on how much money is raised, YWCA and Teen Center officials plan to open a permanent site by April or May and offer paid jobs for youths.

No exact budget has been determined yet, officials said.

Although other nonprofit organizations such as the Salvation Army already operate resale stores, Ellis said the difference with NU2U is that it appeals to the local Glendale community.

Money donated to national groups often goes to a general operating fund, she said, but “when people come here and buy something from the NU2U store, they know that the money will go back to the Glendale Teen Center and the YWCA.”

Anyone interested in volunteering or donating items for NU2U should call (818) 759-1577.