Nearly New Shop History

On August 6, 1956 the Nearly New Shop was opened at 733 E. Market as a source of income for NCJW, Louisville Section.

A loan of $1,000 was obtained from NCJW to start the Shop and was repaid six months later.
Rent for the first year was $90 per month and the store fixtures were either donated or purchased from a pawn shop.
Approval from the IRS allowed the Shop to give itemized tax deductions.
Any items the Shop could not sell were donated to other community organizations.
The Shop was staffed and managed by NCJW members and four volunteers daily.
The first sale was a pair of shorts for $.35 and the first mink coat was sold for $1,000.
Sales for the first year were over $10,000!

The concept of the store was so new and so successful that the store grew and moved to 632 East Market and then again to a building donated at 815 East Market.

The Nearly New Shop moved into is current home in Mid City Mall in November 1988.

The Shop is currently run by a team of full and part time employees and NCJW volunteers.

In 1975, the Fashion Encore event was launched to premiere the fall and winter merchandise.

Everything that was on the sales floor and in storage that first year was sold.
Fashion Encore was later moved to the Kentucky State Fairgrounds to provide more space.
Generations of family members fondly remember the early mornings and long hours working the sale at the Fairgrounds.

In 1983, its most successful year, Fashion Encore provided $160,000 in income to the Section.

Fashion Encore remains the Shop’s most highly anticipated and attended sale to date.

Spring Fling was launched in 1990 to showcase the new spring and summer merchandise and continues to be the second largest annual event.

For the last 67 years, community members have been donating clothing, accessories, home furnishings and furniture to the Shop, which uses the proceeds to fund the advocacy programs and projects run by NCJW.