Our History

​In 1981, when nonprofits were struggling because of government cutbacks, a group of 14 Eastside residents decided to hold garage sales to raise money for local charities. These sales generated cash for local charities, but the proceeds were insufficient to meet the growing needs of the organizations the group wanted to support.

To help meet those needs, our founders opened the Eastside Community Aid Thrift Shop on November 18, 1981, in downtown Redmond. Over the next two decades, the shop continued to operate and provide grants for local charities. During that time, the ECA Thrift Shop relocated to two different sites in Redmond, then moved to Rose Hill in Kirkland, before moving in January of 2001 to its current location in the Totem Lake area of Kirkland.

Fortunately, over the years, the quantity of donations has increased (thanks to the generosity of kind people), the number of customers has continued to grow, and volunteers for ECA have grown in number. Today, our Kirkland thrift shop welcomes thousands of shoppers every year.

Since 1981, ECA has provided over four million dollars of financial and material support to Eastside non-profit organizations.