Treasure City

Support our radical infrastructure for the next ten years!

Treasure City is being forced to move out of our current location by March 2025, and community support is needed to keep our store running long-term.

We are dedicated to keeping Treasure City alive in this city that is rapidly shifting with the ongoing impacts of gentrification, displacement and rising cost of rent, goods, and living. We have no option but to try to find another spot that fits within our budget as a community-backed, non-profit who receives zero-funding from the government.

Our new landlord is asking us to pay a security deposit of $10,000 as well as the first month's rent of $7,000 in advance. In addition, we’ll be facing moving costs and lost sales during the store closure, which we estimate at a total of $8,000. Your support will help us sustain our employees and continue to pay our bills through this transition.

Treasure City is an affordable thrift store, a collectively-run, zero-waste, consensus-based economic experiment and community event space. We have hosted a variety of workshops, shows, movie nights, benefits, and more since 2006. We strive to keep our space and prices accessible to the neighboring communities, low-income folks and all who come see us.

We provide clothes or other necessities to our unsheltered neighbors year-round. In solidarity with our community ties & mutual aid networks, we host monthly shopping nights and provide material, monetary, and promotional support to grassroots groups & mutual aid networks in austin, texas. We practice zero-waste: we throw away as little as possible, give away unsold items daily and monthly, and try to always reuse or recycle.

We host the Really Really Free Market once per month where we set up bins of surplus clothing & goods for everyone and anyone, always free of charge, as Creator intended (more info on free markets here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Really_Really_Free_Market). We would love to continue to host this monthly event as it truly offers a counter-space in this capitalistic society in which things are rarely free.

Treasure City is a part of the movement of cooperative workplaces throughout the country. We are members of both the United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives and the Austin Cooperative Business Association.

Treasure City is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated as they keep our store up and running.

We will keep you all informed on how matters unfold with our new lease, what our next steps are & financial transparency on where your generous donations are going.

Thank you so much for your support and love over the years! We truly couldn’t do it without you all.

Other ways to support:

Here is our website for more information.

In solidarity,

Treasure City