The Brown Elephant
The Brown Elephant operates two Chicago resale shops (Northalsted and Andersonville) selling donated clothing, home goods, and vintage items, with all proceeds funding LGBTQ+ healthcare and uninsured patient care at parent nonprofit Howard Brown Health.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Brown Elephant does
The Brown Elephant is a community resale retail program operated by Howard Brown Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and nonprofit founded in 1974 that delivers LGBTQ+ healthcare and care for uninsured and under-insured patients in Chicago. The Brown Elephant operates two physical resale shops located in Chicago's LGBTQ+ neighborhoods—Northalsted (812 W Belmont Ave) and Andersonville (5404 N. Clark St)—with daily hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., after a third Oak Park location closed in 2025.
The core product is a curated assortment of donated second-hand merchandise including clothing, accessories, handbags, shoes, jewelry, decorative accents, art, antiques, lamps, housewares, furniture, electronics, books, CDs, DVDs, and vinyl. The Andersonville location additionally hosts free HIV and STI screenings through Howard Brown Health Outreach, embedding a public-health service layer into the retail footprint. Merchandise is supplied via community donations accepted in-store and through curbside pickup (Tuesday-Saturday by appointment).
Revenue is generated through resale merchandise sales priced at the discretion of store staff based on item condition, brand, and category, with periodic discount promotions such as Monday Mayhem (50% off clothing and accessories). Sales are supplemented by an eBay online storefront extending geographic reach beyond Chicago. All proceeds are directed to Howard Brown Health's healthcare mission. The customer base is the general public seeking affordable second-hand fashion, home decor, and vintage collectibles, and the go-to-market is community-led via the Howard Brown Health mission, Instagram, and an email newsletter (offering a 10% off signup coupon).
The Brown Elephant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Brown Elephant
- Legal name
- Howard Brown Health
- Website
- https://brownelephant.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Brown Elephant operates two Chicago resale shops (Northalsted and Andersonville) selling donated clothing, home goods, and vintage items, with all proceeds funding LGBTQ+ healthcare and uninsured patient care at parent nonprofit Howard Brown Health.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Brown Elephant is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Brown Elephant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Resale merchandise sales: Sales of donated items including clothing, accessories, home decor, antiques, furniture, electronics, books, and vinyl. All proceeds from the two Chicago resale shop locations support Howard Brown Health's mission of providing LGBTQ+ healthcare and care for the uninsured and under-insured.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Brown Elephant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Brown Elephant operates two Chicago-based resale shops that sell donated clothing, accessories, home décor, furniture, antiques, electronics, books, CDs, DVDs, and vinyl. All net proceeds from these sales are directed to Howard Brown Health to fund LGBTQ+ healthcare services and care for uninsured and under-insured patients. The shops also serve as community collection points for donated items and host free HIV and STI screenings at the Andersonville location.
Product overview
The Brown Elephant operates as a unified resale shop offering with two physical locations in Chicago (Northalsted and Andersonville). The product consists of donated resale items including clothing, accessories, home décor, furniture, electronics, and vintage items. The Brown Elephant Resale Shops function as a single product line supporting Howard Brown Health's mission, with proceeds directly funding LGBTQ+ healthcare services and care for the uninsured and under-insured. Andersonville location additionally offers free HIV and STI screenings through Howard Brown Health Outreach.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brown Elephant Resale Shops Resale retail shops operating in Chicago's Northalsted and Andersonville neighborhoods, selling donated clothing, accessories, handbags, shoes, jewelry, decorative accents, art, antiques, lamps, housewares, furniture, electronics, books, CDs, DVDs, and vinyl. All proceeds support LGBTQ+ healthcare at Howard Brown Health. The Andersonville location also hosts free HIV and STI screenings.
- Brown Elephant eBay Online Store Online eBay storefront extending Brown Elephant's resale merchandise offering to customers beyond the Chicago area, supplementing the two physical retail locations.
Companies that use The Brown Elephant
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Brown Elephant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Brown Elephant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Howard Brown HealthcoreThe Brown Elephant is an integral fundraising arm of Howard Brown Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and deemed Public Health Service employee providing comprehensive LGBTQ+ healthcare services. All proceeds from Brown Elephant resale shop sales directly fund Howard Brown Health's mission, including care for uninsured and under-insured patients.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Brown Elephant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Poshmark: Online peer-to-peer marketplace for secondhand fashion and home goods. Competes for both consignors (potential donors) and shoppers, and pulls resale activity off nonprofit donation channels.
- thredUP: Large-scale online resale platform for secondhand apparel. Competes for the same donor/seller pool and shopper demand as Brown Elephant's online (eBay) channel and represents the structural online-resale threat.
Direct peers
- Crossroads Trading: Resale clothing and accessories retailer with stores in major U.S. cities; buys and resells secondhand fashion. Comparable curated-vintage appeal and donation/buyout-driven model.
- Out of the Closet (AIDS Healthcare Foundation): Nonprofit thrift stores operated by AIDS Healthcare Foundation that sell donated goods and provide free HIV testing on-site. The most directly comparable peer given the HIV-screening-retail hybrid model and AIDS-services funding mechanism.
- Goodwill Industries International: Largest nonprofit thrift/resale operator in the U.S. with thousands of stores selling donated clothing, home goods, furniture, and electronics to fund workforce and community programs. Most direct comparable by mission, assortment, and donation-driven model.
- Housing Works Thrift Shops: Nonprofit thrift stores in New York whose proceeds fund Housing Works' services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Highly comparable mission-aligned resale model with hybrid retail/health-services positioning.
- The Salvation Army Family Stores: National nonprofit thrift chain selling donated clothing, furniture, and household goods to fund The Salvation Army's social programs. Closely comparable to Brown Elephant on nonprofit structure, donation supply, and broad assortment.
- Buffalo Exchange: Resale fashion chain buying and selling used clothing, shoes, and accessories in person across U.S. cities. Comparable on the apparel-led resale experience and reliance on community-sourced inventory.
- Value Village / Savers: For-profit thrift chain operating Value Village and Savers banners across North America; sells donated secondhand clothing and household goods. Closest scaled commercial analog to Brown Elephant's assortment and customer value proposition.
Regional players
- Estate Sale and Consignment Operators (regional): Regional estate-sale and consignment operators in the Chicago metro (e.g., local consignment boutiques and estate liquidators) compete for the same donated/vintage merchandise and the same vintage-furniture shoppers that Brown Elephant serves in Northalsted and Andersonville.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Brown Elephant social profiles
Digital presenceThe Brown Elephant compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
The Brown Elephant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Brown Elephant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Brown Elephant subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
The Brown Elephant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Brown Elephant 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 The Brown Elephant
What does The Brown Elephant do?
The Brown Elephant operates two Chicago-based resale shops that sell donated clothing, accessories, home décor, furniture, antiques, electronics, books, CDs, DVDs, and vinyl. All net proceeds from these sales are directed to Howard Brown Health to fund LGBTQ+ healthcare services and care for uninsured and under-insured patients. The shops also serve as community collection points for donated items and host free HIV and STI screenings at the Andersonville location.
Is The Brown Elephant a public or private company?
The Brown Elephant is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Brown Elephant founded?
The Brown Elephant was founded in 1974. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Brown Elephant based?
The Brown Elephant is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Brown Elephant make money?
One revenue line is on record: resale merchandise sales.
Who are The Brown Elephant's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Poshmark and thredUP. Direct peers are Crossroads Trading, Out of the Closet (AIDS Healthcare Foundation), Goodwill Industries International, Housing Works Thrift Shops, The Salvation Army Family Stores, Buffalo Exchange and Value Village / Savers. Estate Sale and Consignment Operators (regional) is listed as a regional player.
Does The Brown Elephant have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Brown Elephant.