Alexandra Sinderbrand is no stranger to challenge. A self-proclaimed thrift addict, the former New Yorker earned a cult-like following from her secondhand shopping blog that saw her profiled in top women’s fashion publications and cast in a thrifting reality television pilot. After co-owning a vintage and thrift store in the East Village, Sinderbrand pivoted to e-comm tech, where she learned everything about managing a portfolio of products on Amazon. “I was figuring out how to turn stuff into money,” she said.
That skill will likely come in handy for her newest and perhaps most unique challenge yet, as chair of the Starr King Rummage Sale. For her first, and only, year at Starr King Parent-Child Workshop — the environmentally conscious institution beloved by locals for 75 years — Sinderbrand took on a position very few have willingly stepped into. And yet, she dove headfirst into the volunteer role.
In a town of thrifters, Sinderbrand took a new approach to the 76th sale — held for the first time on Santa Barbara City College’s Wake Campus on May 17. “How do we optimize for [a] community that has a much higher standard for what is worth paying for secondhand?” she asked herself.
Sinderbrand is a fan of the bin experience — bulk shopping by the bag, for those uninitiated — but wasn’t sure it would appeal to her new hometown. So, she did a “little recon,” as she called it, and visited other rummage sales throughout the year. With the luxury of time on her hands, Sinderbrand — who went from “championing” sustainable shopping to working with big manufacturing teams in China — uncovered something that surprised her.
“When I started this process, I had a lot of assumptions about what people will or will not buy [at the rummage sale] just based on my experience running a thrift store and shopping thrift stores,” Sinderbrand says. “But this is a very unique community.”
What she might once have redistributed to be donated, or even thrown out, she’s keeping. Even a box of used tools, she laughs, is being saved. For the past four months, Sinderbrand — along with a team of volunteers (both current and former Starr King parents) have pre-sorted goods collected during donation drop-offs hosted at SBCC. The 15 required hours for parents makes a huge difference in pre-sorting goods, but also in lived experience. If it has value, the community told her, somebody will buy it.
And that’s where Sinderbrand’s new bins experience comes in. This year, the frenzy that often comes toward the tail end of any rummage sale experience will happen throughout the entire sale; bins offering children and adult clothing for $5-$10 a bag will be available in the parking lot right when the sale starts. Inside, expect a more “traditional rummage, based on how we’ve always done it,” she says, which will include individually priced items and higher-end goods.
The Starr King Parent-Child Workshop is both a co-op parent education and early childhood program. In addition to donating at least one morning a week of their time, parents attend a weekly education class.
“I can’t say enough about this community — it’s blown my mind. This is the kind of community that’s priceless. The parent engagement and support — it’s not just making me a better mom but a better human being,” said Sinderbrand.
As the largest fundraiser, proceeds from the rummage sale go toward keeping costs down with a tuition assistance program. The hope is to also raise funds for staff healthcare, in addition to school materials and supplies. “It’s a nonprofit,” Sinderbrand says. “The funds are needed to keep the school going.
“It’s really not just a fundraiser. It’s a shared experience that connects the parents of the present with the parents of the past. You’re not just doing this for the alumni because it brings them together every year — you’re doing it for future you. Because someday, you’re going to miss this.”
The Starr King Rummage Sale takes place Saturday, May 17, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. General admission is free. Early Bird entry starts at 8 a.m. for $25. See starrking-pcw.org/events/rummage.
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