Ragfinery
Ragfinery is a Bellingham, Washington 501(c)(3) nonprofit that diverts donated textiles from landfills by reselling fabrics and garments through a single retail storefront, supporting local textile artists via a consignment gallery, and offering free community mending workshops under the Reuse Works umbrella.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBellingham, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ragfinery does
Ragfinery is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit textile diversion center, thrift shop, and creative space operating in downtown Bellingham, Washington. Founded in April 2014 as the second jobs-from-waste program under the Reuse Works umbrella (EIN 20-0899220), the organization sorts donated textiles and channels them into four streams: resale through a retail storefront at 115 Unity St Suite 101, consignment sales for local textile artists (requiring a minimum of 75% postconsumer textile content), free community mending workshops, and downstream donation of unsellable garments to partners such as Northwest Center and mutual aid programs. The organization has diverted 1,032,472 pounds of textiles from landfills cumulatively, with a current monthly diversion rate of 10,000-15,000 pounds.
The product and service surface consists of a physical thrift store selling fabrics, yarn, sewing notions, quilting materials, vintage patterns, and handmade upcycled goods; a packaged Sashiko Style Mending Kit sold via Ragfinery.com; in-store volunteer mending services on a sliding scale; a consignment gallery for local textile artists; and free community mending workshops hosted at partner venues including the Bellingham Public Library, Lydia Place, and Opportunity Council. There is no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or AI components, and the operation runs on a Squarespace website plus email newsletter and social media for marketing. Ragfinery is supported by a small paid staff of roughly 5-10 people (Executive Director Kate Stragis, Retail Manager Arora Timberlyn, Program Manager Emma Wardell, and several Textile Specialists) plus a volunteer workforce and a governance board of eight.
Revenue is generated from three streams: thrift store retail sales, donations from individuals and organizations coordinated via Givebutter, and grant funding (notably a $23,800 award from ArtsFund and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation in April 2023, and ongoing support from the Whatcom County Waste Reduction Pilot Program). The distribution model is a single retail storefront with a regional consignment gallery, and products are priced at low unit economics (e.g., fabric scraps at $2.00 for two bags). After 10 years of operation and a 1-million-pound cumulative diversion milestone, the original retail and workshop space suffered a devastating fire at year-end 2024, forcing a year-long closure; the organization has since reopened in a new Bellingham retail space in 2025.
Ragfinery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ragfinery
- Legal name
- Ragfinery
- Website
- https://ragfinery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ragfinery is a Bellingham, Washington 501(c)(3) nonprofit that diverts donated textiles from landfills by reselling fabrics and garments through a single retail storefront, supporting local textile artists via a consignment gallery, and offering free community mending workshops under the Reuse Works umbrella.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ragfinery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Thrift Store and Textile Reuse Services
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Textile & Apparel Recycling and Sorting (Non-E-waste) (BPALADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination (HSAFABAI), Textile & Apparel Sorting/Recovery Facilities (EUAIADAJ)
Keywords
Where Ragfinery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bellingham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ragfinery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Sales (Thrift Store): Sales of donated textiles including fabrics, yarn, sewing notions, quilting materials, vintage patterns, and handmade upcycled goods by local artisans. Revenue from in-store retail operations.
- Donations and Fundraising: Donations from individuals and organizations to support nonprofit mission. Organized by REUSE WORKS as 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 20-0899220).
- Grant Funding: Funding from programs such as Whatcom County Waste Reduction Pilot Program to support community mending events and operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fabric scraps - $2.00 for two bags |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Mending services - sliding scale |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Ragfinery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ragfinery is a nonprofit textile diversion center operating a retail thrift shop in downtown Bellingham that sells donated fabrics, yarn, sewing notions, quilting materials, vintage patterns, and handmade upcycled goods by local artisans. Beyond retail, it offers free community mending workshops, a Sashiko Style mending kit, an artist consignment program, volunteer opportunities, and outreach education on textile waste and creative reuse. All proceeds and donations support its mission of diverting textiles from landfills (over 1 million pounds since 2014) and providing job training in the reuse sector.
Product overview
Ragfinery is a non-profit textile diversion center, thrift shop, and creative space operating as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core products and services include: a retail thrift store selling fabrics, yarn, sewing notions, quilting materials, vintage patterns, and handmade upcycled goods; the Sashiko Style Kit for textile mending; Community Mending Services offering free mending events and workshops; an Artist Consignment Program for upcycled textile artists; and a Volunteer Program. The Textile Waste Diversion service sits at the core of the mission, diverting approximately 10-15,000 pounds of textiles from landfills each month through resale, upcycling, and community education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Thrift Store Physical retail thrift shop selling donated fabrics, yarn, sewing notions, quilting materials, vintage patterns, and handmade upcycled goods by local artisans and volunteers. Inventory is constantly changing with one-of-a-kind and affordable finds. Open to walk-in community consumers in downtown Bellingham, WA.
- Sashiko Style Kit Mending kit featuring sashiko style techniques for textile repair, including materials and a guide for boro and sashiko style mending. Sold as a standalone physical product to community consumers interested in garment repair.
- Community Mending Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,032,472 lbs of textiles diverted from landfill since 2014
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ragfinery
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ragfinery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ragfinery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Labels ConsignmentcoreMajor weekly pickup partner totaling thousands of pounds of clothing each month. Labels is an integral partner in diversion efforts.
- Northwest CentercoreNon-profit receiving unsellable garments. Northwest Center promotes growth, development, and independence of people with disabilities through therapy, education, and work opportunities.
- Bellingham Occupied Protest (BOP)coreMutual aid program collection facility for donations. BOP provides resources directly to community members in need including toiletries, warm clothing, socks, underwear, and outdoor gear.
- Eileen FishermajorMulti-year partnership receiving hundreds of boxes of garment donations. Sellable items offered at Ragfinery prices; unsellable chop provided to community for upcycling projects.
- Whatcom County Waste Reduction Pilot ProgramcoreFunding partner supporting community mending events and programs.
- Bellingham Public LibrarymajorHost venue for SkillShare Mending Workshops in their community space.
- Lydia PlacemajorCommunity residential housing partner hosting mending events for residents.
- Opportunity CouncilmajorSocial service agency partnering for job training programs and hosting community mending events.
- Whatcom Transit AllianceminorSource of The Bus Pants Challenge - donated grey uniform pants for creative projects.
- Sustainable ConnectionsminorOrganization where board member Delaney Skordal serves as Development Director.
- Allied ArtsminorReferral destination for non-textile craft donations.
- Molly's Sewing Machine ServiceminorRecommended service for sewing machine repair.
- Whatcom Humane Society Thrift StoreminorRecommended destination for bedding and drapery donations.
- Northwest Youth ServicesminorSocial service agency partner for job training program connections.
- YWCAminorCommunity partner hosting mending events during post-fire closure period.
- REUSE WORKScoreParent organization - 501(c)(3) Public Charity (EIN 20-0899220) that is the organizing entity for Ragfinery. Ragfinery is the second jobs from waste program under Reuse Works umbrella.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ragfinery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ThredUp: Public resale-as-a-service platform operating large-scale processing facilities for secondhand clothing - overlaps with Ragfinery's textile-sorting and resale mission at industrial scale.
Emerging players
- Eileen Fisher Renew: Brand-owned take-back and resale program for Eileen Fisher garments - one of Ragfinery's largest donors and a key reference point for circular apparel partnerships at the brand level.
- Patagonia Worn Wear: Brand-owned program for buying back, repairing, and reselling used Patagonia clothing - a comparable apparel-circularity model that overlaps with Ragfinery's mending and reuse focus.
- Reformation ReGirl: Brand resale program for pre-owned Reformation garments; comparable mission of extending apparel lifecycle and could be a brand-partnership counterpart for Ragfinery's retail channel.
- The North Face Renewed / Explore Mode Take Back: Brand-run resale and refurbishment program - comparable circular apparel initiative and potential donation counterpart to Ragfinery's artist supply channel.
- SuperCircle (formerly Refashion): Tech-enabled textile recycling and take-back operator partnering with brands and retailers - comparable in textile circularity mission and brand partnership structure.
Direct peers
- Helpsy: Certified B Corp focused on clothing and textile collection for reuse/recycling - comparable textile-diversion operator with brand partnerships and community pickup logistics.
- Savers (Value Village): For-profit thrift chain that partners with nonprofits to collect and resell donated textiles, with established donation logistics and retail infrastructure - comparable in donation-to-resale model even though for-profit.
- The Salvation Army: Major nonprofit thrift operator with national retail footprint and family-store donation/resale model, providing the same community-based textile diversion and resale services as Ragfinery at larger scale.
- Goodwill Industries International: Largest nonprofit thrift and donated-textile processor in the U.S., operating thousands of retail stores that resell donated clothing and household goods - directly comparable mission (reuse + job training) and same donated-textile intake model as Ragfinery.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ragfinery social profiles
Digital presenceRagfinery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ragfinery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Ragfinery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ragfinery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ragfinery
What does Ragfinery do?
Ragfinery is a nonprofit textile diversion center operating a retail thrift shop in downtown Bellingham that sells donated fabrics, yarn, sewing notions, quilting materials, vintage patterns, and handmade upcycled goods by local artisans. Beyond retail, it offers free community mending workshops, a Sashiko Style mending kit, an artist consignment program, volunteer opportunities, and outreach education on textile waste and creative reuse. All proceeds and donations support its mission of diverting textiles from landfills (over 1 million pounds since 2014) and providing job training in the reuse sector.
Is Ragfinery a public or private company?
Ragfinery is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ragfinery founded?
Ragfinery was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ragfinery based?
Ragfinery is headquartered in Bellingham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ragfinery make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales (Thrift Store) is the primary driver. The others are donations and Fundraising and grant Funding.
Who are Ragfinery's main competitors?
ThredUp is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Eileen Fisher Renew, Patagonia Worn Wear, Reformation ReGirl, The North Face Renewed / Explore Mode Take Back and SuperCircle (formerly Refashion). Direct peers are Helpsy, Savers (Value Village), The Salvation Army and Goodwill Industries International.
Does Ragfinery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ragfinery.
What industry is Ragfinery in?
Ragfinery's product category is Nonprofit Thrift Store and Textile Reuse Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPALADAL, Textile & Apparel Recycling and Sorting (Non-E-waste), with a secondary code of HSAFABAI, Donation, Resale & Textile Recycling Coordination. Its SIC code is 2300.