Donating to the Kaleva Resale Shop: What They Take, What They Can't, and the Monthly Sale

Every spring and fall, the same thing happens in Northern Michigan garages. Someone cleans out the closets, loads the car with bags of good stuff and drives it somewhere, only to find out half of it cannot be accepted. The Kaleva Resale Shop, run by BARC, takes donations of cookware, children's clothing, books, furniture, antiques, electronics, kitchenware and vintage finds, and it resells them. The shop has clear rules, and knowing them makes the drop-off easy. Here is what to bring, what to leave home and why the monthly sale is worth planning around.

The donation rules, straight from the shop

These are the rules BARC publishes for the resale shop. Read them before you pack the car:

• New or gently used items only.
• Nothing dirty, wet or with a strong odor.
• Furniture must be clean and structurally sound.
• Construction materials are subject to refusal.
• No items needing repair.
• No unsafe or recalled items.
• No paint or household hazardous waste.
• No food.
• No undergarments.

The common thread is that the shop needs to sell what comes in. Something that works, is clean and sits ready for a new owner has a good chance. Something that needs a screwdriver or a fix, smells of the basement or arrives wet does not. If you are not sure about a piece, call 231-492-6138 before the trip.

What the shop accepts

BARC's accepted list covers most of a household:

• Clothing, shoes and boots
• Jewelry, hats, gloves and scarves
• Books, records, CDs, videotapes and DVDs
• Games, toys and sports gear
• Housewares
• Collectibles and antiques
• Hand tools and small power tools, which must function
• Domestics
• Electronics such as CPUs, hard drives, laptops and cell phones
• Furniture, except waterbed frames
• Working flat-screen TVs with a remote

Two items on that list surprise people. Tube TVs and analog sets are out, because the shop takes only working flat screens with a remote. Those older sets belong in electronics recycling, where tube TVs are priced by screen size. Tools are in, but only if they work. A drill with a dead motor needs a different route than a donation.

What to do with everything else

Whatever the shop cannot take, BARC may still be able to recycle. Mattresses, refrigerators, broken electronics, tires, batteries and construction waste all have their own services and prices, which you will find on the pricing page. Paint and other household hazardous waste are not accepted by the shop, so look to your county's household hazardous waste days for those. Food and undergarments simply do not belong in a donation bag.

Sorting at home saves everyone time. Make three piles: resale, recycling and trash. Clothing that is too worn to resell can be bagged and brought in, where bagged clothing is a $10 line on the pricing sheet. The resale pile goes to Kaleva, and the recycling pile goes to a drop-off at either facility.

Hours, location and the monthly sale

The shop is at 14407 Industrial Dr. in Kaleva, about 15 minutes south of Thompsonville on the north end of Kaleva. Hours are Wednesday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It is closed Sunday through Tuesday, and donations are accepted during open hours, so do not leave things by the door when nobody is there. The shop number is 231-492-6138.

There is a new sale every month. The October 2026 sale was a fill-a-bag-of-clothing deal for $5, 15% off doors and windows, 20% off hardware and 10% off any purchase over 100. The specifics change from month to month, so check the Kaleva resale shop page or the homepage before you go, or call. Anyone with a repair or remodel on the list should keep an eye on the doors, windows and hardware deals.

Another way to earn: volunteer shifts

If you would rather give time than things, BARC runs volunteer shifts organizing the Kaleva store. Every volunteer shift earns BARC Bucks good toward resale merchandise, building materials, recycling services and more. That makes a Saturday morning among the racks and shelves a real way to cover a mattress recycling fee or to pick up lumber for a project. See the volunteer opportunities page for how to sign up.

So here is a simple plan. Sort your pile, check it against the donation rules, call 231-492-6138 if anything is borderline and plan the trip around the monthly sale. You will leave with an empty trunk, and maybe a good deal on a door.