MANCHESTER, NH – Jason’s Joy, a newly opened thrift store on Manchester Street, answers the question: “What if everything in my grandma’s house was up for sale?”
Akin to an older woman’s vintage treasure cove of a lifetime of collectible knick-knacks and eccentric trinkets, the store’s cozy decor invites the customer to explore.
Wandering through aisles of floral and gold-trimmed porcelain dinnerware and forgotten relics of bygone days, it’s tough not to scoop up each one-of-a-kind piece and bring it home with you. Boasting no less than three pairs of smiling cat-themed salt and pepper shakers, the temptation to completely redecorate your home with unique cottagecore finds is overwhelming at times.
Robin Aviles, the store’s owner, opened up shop almost a year ago, but moved to the current storefront from a location a few doors down when a larger space opened up four months ago. The name ‘Jason’s Joy’ was inspired by her late son Jason, who was multi-handicapped and passed away due to medical complications in 2021 at the age of 33. Her goal is to bring a little bit of joy to the downtown area.
“It’s ‘Jason’s Joy’ because I want to bring joy to people when they come in, and I feel like I do,” said Aviles. “[Jason] didn’t talk, but he laughed at a lot of things or he showed his emotions through crying… you know, you always knew what was going on with him or if he wanted something… you could tell his reactions, and it’s just fun, you know?”
According to Aviles, many of the decor choices in the store are inspired by Jason’s favorite things, like the little cards hanging on the walls and a printed plastic SpongeBob SquarePants mural strategically placed behind a display of beach supplies for sale. “The thing on the wall is actually from my son’s room. He had his room all decorated with SpongeBob,” said Aviles.
While the store’s decor wraps shoppers up in a cozy shawl of nostalgia, so to speak, the desire to bring joy to Manchester goes far beyond its warm aesthetics. Aviles says she wanted to do something good for the community by opening Jason’s Joy.
“You know, there’s a lot of homeless – the homeless shelter’s only a block away,” said Aviles. “They’ll come in and sometimes they don’t quite have enough, or whatever, but you know, I’ll help them out.”
Aviles says she accepts donation drop-offs of just about anything under the sun at any time, including clothes and household items, as long as it’s clean. She also offers a pick-up service for larger items. You can call the store to request a donation pick-up. The only category she says she typically steers away from is baby furniture, considering the average type of customer she gets in the downtown neighborhood where the store is located.
“I do take a little bit of kid stuff, but like, this area is mostly homeless and older people. So I don’t really have a lot of kid stuff,” said Aviles.
You can also find items listed by Jason’s Joy on Whatnot, a live auction app designed for buying and selling collectibles, vintage items, and other unique products.
