Flipping through a list of nonprofits recently, I discovered Act Two. I was immediately intrigued by this Vineyard Haven secondhand store, which, filled with alluring previously owned goods, uses funds from its sales to support community theater and arts and education programs across the Island.
Act Two is not your grandma’s thrift store. It is the brainchild of co-founders Kevin Ryan and Alissa Keenan, who devised this intriguing way to support the arts. The two, who had worked together previously at Martha’s Vineyard Boys & Girls Club Secondhand Store, decided to start their own 501(c)(3) organization in 2019. They funded their endeavor privately rather than look for bank loans or grant money, assembled a board of directors, and opened on Main Street in March 2022. After the first two years, they were able to pay off all their startup costs, and they have given away about $39,000 to date. There is no formal application process for the funding. Any Martha’s Vineyard program or organization with nonprofit status can send an email explaining the project, stating the amount requested, and detailing where the funds will be used. The executive committee makes the final decision.
Keenan shares, “Every year we’ve been open, we have been able to give money to the arts community. It’s all thanks to people who think, ‘How can I ensure this doesn’t go to waste, and someone else can use it?’” The store sells new and gently used clothing, jewelry, furniture, housewares, and art. Quality donated goods are attractively displayed. “We believe we can keep the store looking fresh and different,” says Ryan. “Things aren’t in dirty boxes and cardboard. We joke: It’s a new store every day. There is a constant sense of turnover.”
The pair’s focus on the arts was natural. Ryan has been heavily involved in Island Theater Workshop as the artistic director and a board member. Keenan grew up exposed to theater and the arts. She says, “There was no funding source specifically for arts and education on the Island. It was a gap.”
Ryan explains, “Initially, the focus was going to be on community theater, but the more we talked about it, it became clear multiple organizations on the Island need support.” They decided to also assist the schools with their arts programs.
Island Theatre Workshop, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society, Circuit Arts, and the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse are just a few organizations Keenan and Ryan have supported over the years. Act Two likewise strives to be a principal year-round Island business and conscientious community supporter. “It doesn’t just stop with theater,” Ryan says. “If someone is cold or hungry, they can come in and get fed and warmed. If they need clothes, we close and let them shop privately. We’ve worked with Community Services, the Police Department, and jail when people are released, if they need a coat or shoes.”
Hope O’Brien is the director of the First Congregational Church of West Tisbury Handbell Choir. As they have expanded, their needs have grown. “I went through the grant process, and was rejected every time because we were a church. The church had no funds. There’s only so much money we can raise in the outside communities. We get paid for our performances as an offering, but we can’t put a hat out on the street.” With assistance from Act Two, they have now acquired a fourth octave of bells.
Island Theatre Workshop (ITW) board member Lauraye White received funding for “Cinderella” and “Little Shop of Horrors.” “The overhead costs of producing a giant musical are very pricey with tech, a live band, and costume rentals,” Ryan says. “Although our principal support is funding of the Playhouse, ITW, when the schools need costumes and we have something they need, they get it immediately. It’s never a question.”
“It’s going where it’s meant to go,” says Keenan.
Act Two is staffed by dedicated volunteers as sales associates for clothing, jewelry, fashion, home goods, and furniture, and for quality control, as well as volunteer drivers, furniture movers, and messengers. Sue Parks notes, “I brought some Christmas stuff in, and said, ‘Do you ever need a volunteer?’ Alissa said, ‘Can you come in on Monday?’ It’s a lovely place to work.”
The store has, on average, seven staff and six to seven volunteers. Ryan speaks glowingly of the landlord as well, who has been very supportive: “It’s all an important part of the mix — everybody doing their part to support art, music, and theater.”
Act Two Secondhand Store, 66 Main St., Vineyard Haven; 508-338-2124.
