ADAMS, Mass. — Trisha Carlo took the leap to turn her online secondhand clothing business into a storefront on Summer Street. And named it in tribute to a loved one. 

 

Two T's Thrifting stands for Trisha and her late partner, Tom Bradley, who died in 2022. 

 

"We loved thrifting together, so I thought it was a way that I could honor him, and then also a way I could give back to the community," she said. 

 

Carlo has been selling clothes she's thrifted from her Facebook page for the past couple of years. She found the building at 64 Summer St. about two months ago and opened on Jan. 11.

 

"There's not many stores here. And I figured being downtown like this, people could walk in, especially in the summertime," she said. "I know there's a ton of people in the area that love to thrift so I thought this would be a really good idea for Adams."

 

Carlo also wants to make an impact on the community, donating clothing to children in foster care, unhoused people, and those who have lost their belongings, such as in a fire.

 

High school students sometimes do their community service hours with her, packing clothes bags for these individuals.

 

"I have clothes that we sell and then clothes that we donate. Usually, in the back room, I have a stack of jeans, a stack of sweats, the shirts, and if we get a certain list from somebody, certain sizes, they'll go through what we have and then put it into a pack," she said. "We'll put it into a drawstring bag or a backpack. It's gone pretty well."

 

She hopes that in five years she will be able to offer an internship for students. She also plans to expand her store while keeping prices low for everyone.

 

"I would like to see, maybe like an internship for the kids through the high schools and give them that opportunity. I think maybe expanding someday, storefront-wise, see where we go in the future," Carlo said. "With that, just giving back to the community. I want the kids to learn what it's like to give back. They can come here. They can learn how we donate, how we just help one another, especially with keeping the prices low as well."

 

Carlo formerly worked in law enforcement and is now an emergency medical technician in Pittsfield. This is her first business venture. She suggests anyone who wants to open their own business to "go for it."

 

"I'm a first-time business owner, learning as I go, but I get pretty good advice from my parents, who have both been business owners, so they're kind of guiding me through this," she said. 

 

She does take donations for the store but will only pick up, as she does not want anyone dropping off items. You can contact her through the business Facebook page.

 

Carlo is also asking for donations of old or new Adams business signs as she plans to display them in her store.

 

Her current hours are Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. She plans to expand her hours to be open later in the spring.