Originally distributed to media on October 2, 2026.
The expanded UpStart Thrift store at 235 E. Main St. in Farmington, with its updated signage.
Startup Junkie’s volunteer-run, nonprofit thrift store reopened last month inside an expanded Farmington building, marking four years of affordable shopping and support for local entrepreneurs.
FARMINGTON, Ark., Oct. 2, 2026: UpStart Thrift is celebrating an expanded store and four years of community impact following its Sept. 14 reopening, which marked its busiest day and highest single-day sales to that point in the store’s history. The reopening at 235 E. Main St. in Farmington followed UpStart’s fourth anniversary and opened a new chapter for a volunteer-run store that turns donated goods into support for local small businesses.
The expanded store now spans 4,928 square feet. The larger footprint adds room for inventory, displays, and checkout capacity, giving the store more space to serve shoppers and put the community’s donations to work.
Shoppers browse the expanded sales floor at 235 E. Main St. The larger space added room for inventory, displays, and checkout.
Since opening in 2022 as a project of Startup Junkie Foundation, UpStart has paired affordable shopping with a local purpose. Community members donate clothing, home goods, and other household items; volunteers prepare and sell them; and, after rent and utilities, profits fund small business grants and Kiva lending support for Washington County entrepreneurs.
Donated sweaters and home goods, ready for the sales floor. Shoppers find clothing, decor, and household items at low prices.
Since building the revenue and customer support needed to begin issuing grants, UpStart has supported more than 35 Washington County small businesses and deployed more than $50,000 through grants and support through the Kiva NWA program. The in-store operation is entirely volunteer-driven, with volunteers contributing more than 20,000 hours since the store opened in 2022.
A volunteer sets out clothing beneath the sign welcoming shoppers to the new and improved store.
That support has helped business owners address practical needs. A grant to Farmington’s Pedal Pops / Pedal Park supported signage and updated packaging. A grant to My-T-By-Design supported repairs and expansion after the business relocated to Fayetteville following tornado damage in Rogers. Magnolia Coffee House received a grant to repair or replace refrigeration equipment.
Beyond its impacts on local small businesses, UpStart has become a resource for schools, families, and community organizations. Donated goods help stock clothing closets in Prairie Grove and Farmington schools, provide diapers through Family Network and the Diaper Collective, and supply baby clothes for mothers at the Salvation Army shelter. The store also shares books with libraries and assisted living residents, sends children’s bicycles to Pedal It Forward, and provides puzzles and prizes for the Farmington Senior Center. From winter coats and prom dresses to essentials for families recovering from house fires, those quieter contributions extend the store’s reach well beyond its sales floor.
The record reopening day provided an encouraging start for the expanded store. Now in its fifth year, UpStart’s focus remains the same: affordable finds, a welcoming place to volunteer, and more resources for local entrepreneurs.
Community members can support UpStart by shopping at the expanded store, donating goods, or volunteering. Visit our home page for store information and ways to get involved.
Volunteers sort and hang donated clothing. The store is entirely volunteer-run.