Buy Again Alley, a nonprofit thrift store located in downtown Middlebury, has lost their lease after six years based at 60 Main Street. The owners of the building, who gave the business only 30 days notice before requiring it to vacate the building, intend to open an antique shop there in the coming months, according to Buy Again Alley employee Jakob Loven.
The store will remain open at their current location until this coming Saturday, Sept. 27. It has stopped accepting donations and is hosting multiple sales as it prepares to move. It is in the process of negotiations on a lease for a new space in downtown Middlebury, according to Jeanette Gyukeri, executive director of Buy Again Alley. Gyukeri declined to name the location of the new spot since the agreement is not yet final, but said that it is a 5-10 minute walk from the business’ current location. If the lease is signed, the shop will re-open there in late October.
Gyukeri said that remaining closed throughout most of October will present a challenge for the non-profit’s business.
“October for us is a very big month sales wise. It gets a lot of engagement with the college, with the multitudes of parties that happen there, and students come in, so we are sad to not have retail space during that window,” Gyukeri said.
Despite Buy Again Alley’s temporary lack of a home base, the business will still be in operation through pop-up events at Midd Pride, Parent’s Weekend, and the Middlebury Fall Festival and Car Show, where it will sell Halloween costumes and accessories.
This upcoming year will mark Buy Again Alley’s 10th year of business. With a wealthy base of local donors and a successful summer of sales, Gyukeri is confident it will continue to thrive.
“We had a moment this summer where it was just clicking, something was clicking with the community,” Gyekeri said. “While this space may not be available to us anymore, we have built a thing that is so easily movable to another space that it was never a thought that we wouldn’t attempt to relocate.”
Buy Again Alley is a nonprofit business whose mission is to support local teenagers, college students and young adults. They give out scholarships to young adults in Addison County pursuing a non-traditional path after high school. By funding individuals pursuing various futures such as trade school, certification, internships and gap-year travel, it seeks to reinvest money back into the local youth in order to financially support their goals.
“We want to help young people where they are and help them advance in ways that are deemed as non-traditional,” Gyukari said.
Aside from the thrift shop’s prominent role in the local community, college students enjoy the shop and the convenience it provides for students to purchase everything from Halloween costumes to dorm room decor at affordable prices.
Maggie Kim ’28 spoke highly of her many shopping trips to the thrift store as a regular customer.
“I have only great experiences at Buy Again Alley. I’ve been able to find clothes, jewelry, and even decor there, all at affordable prices. The people that work there are so kind and are always welcoming when I go,” Kim said.
Another student commented on the variety of items Buy Again Alley sells.
“Buy Again Alley is such a fun place to walk into. In my experience, you never know what you will find but you can always count on finding something cool,” Lillian Showater ’29 said.
While students and individuals strolling in town may no longer be able to conveniently stop into the Main Street storefront after they close this Saturday, the information on their new location will be available shortly on their social media pages, according to Gyekeri.
Editor’s Note: Editor-in-Chief Madeleine Kaptein ’25.5 contributed reporting to this article.
Correction 9/26/25: A previous version of this article stated that Buy Again Alley's scholarships are available to MUHS students and graduates. It has been updated to better reflect that scholarships are available to all young adults in Addison County.
