On a brisk and sunny morning last Saturday at the West Tisbury landfill, the under-the-radar up-Island institution known as the Dumptique was alive and bustling with customers old and new.
As half a dozen volunteers began their morning shift sorting through bags of clothes and other items, people of all ages began filtering in and out the Dumptique’s doors.
Oak Bluffs resident Monica Van Horn, a dedicated Dumptique customer who has been “shopping” here for years, said it is an experience unlike any other.
“It’s the best kept secret on the Island,” Ms. Van Horn said. “It’s an Island exchange and you never know what you’re going to find.”
Saturday, Ms. Van Horn said she came by to donate a neck massager and other items upwards of $200 in total. Last week, she said she donated a strand of pearls. “The range of incomes on the Island really varies, so you get a little bit of everything,” she said. “It’s fun and practical treasure hunting, it really satisfies the foraging instinct.”
The Dumptique is open during West Tisbury Landfill hours, Saturday and Tuesday, from 9 am to 3 pm, and Sunday, 9 am to 12 noon.
Everything you can find in the store is free. With as much of the merchandise coming in as going out, someone can find just about anything at the Dumptique.
“The other name for it is the ‘free store,’” Michael Colaneri, one of the Dumptique’s volunteers told The Times. “It’s a good deal, probably the best deal in town.”
