Few, if any, thrift shops have been as instrumental in launching careers as the Capitol Hill Value Village in Seattle, Washington. While you may not know it by name, if you contributed to the more than 785 million views that Mackelmore’s “Thrift Shop” video received, you’re familiar with the institution. But now, in a move that has clearly had a big impact on the now-famous rapper, the Capitol Hill Value Village has announced that it is officially shutting its doors, and not for filming — forever.
“Though unfortunate, certain business conditions have made it necessary to close our Value Village thrift store in the Capitol Hill neighborhood after a number of years of leasing the space on a month-to-month basis,” said a Value Village spokesperson in an interview with the Capitol Hill Seattle blog. In response, Macklemore, a loyal Seattle native, sent out the following tweet on Tuesday morning:
Ah hell no!!! …. https://t.co/yAqfpJgiAP
— Macklemore (@macklemore) October 28, 2015
A number of replies to the tweet have suggested that Mackelmore should leverage his fame and ostensible fortune to help keep the beloved institution running, noting that it would be a “nice gesture.”
https://twitter.com/piercytd/status/659423042179846148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Value Village, which has been a Seattle thrifting institution since 1996, took over the landmark building that was once meant to serve as REI’s headquarters. And while the chain of value stores has been renting on a “month-to-month basis” for years now, it seems that this October was the last straw. All employees, however, have been urged to remain in the Value Village family, and have been “encouraged to apply for positions” at other locations of the chain, according to the CHS blog.
“We are deeply grateful for the community that has embraced this store, and we sincerely hope that our long-time shoppers will visit our other Value Village locations in Seattle-area communities including Crown Hill in Ballard and Lake City,” noted the store’s spokesperson.
Value Village will make its final sale on November 7, and afterwards, Seattle residents will just have to find other places to acquire their leopard minks.
