1952-1978

CommunityWorx, originally known as The Thrifty Shop, then PTA Thrift Shop, was founded in 1952 by the Chapel Hill Art Guild.  A lack of funds for art education in the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City School district motivated a fundraising campaign from within the community through roaming rummage sales. Within the first three months, they raised $1,200 to hire the first art teacher. Art education proved to improve academic performance and develop more well rounded students, within the next ten years the school district decided to invest $150,000 on art education. Our first store front was located at 508 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. Proceeds from the sales were dedicated to supporting the districts Parent Teacher Associations.

1978-1986

The shop acquired its first permanent home in 1979 with the purchase of a building located at 103 Jones Ferry Road in Carrboro. That building served as our Carrboro location until 2012, at which time the property it stood on was completely redeveloped. In 1980 A second location was leased and opened in Kroger Plaza, now called Village Plaza, on South Elliott Road.

1986-2013

In 1986, the store moved to an even larger space next door adjacent to Wellspring grocery store. The store moved to its final location in 2007 and added an onsite donations facility. The current building that houses the Carrboro location of CommunityWorx opened in December of 2013. The building expanded the thrift shop to a modern retail space, and office space for lease.

2013 and Beyond

The final phase of our capital investment was completed in the summer of 2017 with the completion of the YouthWorx on Main, a collaborative coworking community dedicated to strengthening the work of youth-serving nonprofit organizations.

In November 2019, we officially changed our name to CommunityWorx. Our team is a reflection of the community we serve, and we love giving back. We invest in our community by raising money, creating jobs, and dedicating in-kind donations to enriching the lives of youth impacted by opportunity gaps. Our work contributes to environmental sustainability by reselling used goods and reducing waste that may otherwise end up in the landfill.