Out of the Closet

Out of the Closet is thrift shopping with a mission statement: the store chain of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, where 96 cents of every dollar you spend funds AHF’s HIV services. The Wilton Drive location mixes furniture, clothing, books, and the genuine finds that make thrifting a sport — except here, losing your budget counts as philanthropy.

The stock rotates constantly on donations, which is the fun of it: one week yields a mid-century lamp, the next a barely-worn designer jacket someone’s ex left behind. Prices stay thrift-honest, and the racks reward the patient. For visitors furnishing nothing, the clothing and oddities sections still make it the Drive’s best-value browse.

What makes this more than a thrift store: the Wilton Manors location houses free HIV testing and an AHF pharmacy on site. It’s health infrastructure disguised as retail, in the neighborhood that arguably does that combination better than anywhere in Florida — Latinos Salud and the Pride Center are both minutes away.

Doors open every day, 10am to 7pm (6pm on Sundays), at 2097 Wilton Dr on the south end of the strip, conveniently next to Cake Daddy’s — thrift finds plus cupcakes being the most cost-effective good time on the Drive. Donations welcome, obviously: your closet clean-out is somebody’s treasure and everybody’s healthcare.