Out of the Closet
Encyclopedia
Out of the Closet is a nonprofit
chain of thrift stores whose revenues provide medical care for patients with HIV
/AIDS
. The chain is owned and operated by AIDS Healthcare Foundation
(AHF), a Los Angeles-based global organization that provides medical, preventative, and educational resources for patients. AHF is the nation's largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention, and education provider. Out of the Closet thrift stores generate income to help fund the medical services AHF provides for those patients who are unable to pay. Proceeds from Out of the Closet Thrift Stores directly benefit AHF.
In addition to Out of the Closet's retail activities, the stores provide customers with a variety of opportunities to donate to charity.
The store's merchandise comes directly from donations, and therefore the store's revenues are directly reliant upon neighborhood charity. Merchandise sold includes adult clothing, consumer electronics, furniture, bric-a-brac, jewelry, handbags, shoes, and books.
There are now 13 Out of the Closet locations throughout Southern California
and four locations in the San Francisco Bay Area
. The 'Out of the Closet' name has been federally trademarked by AHF since 1997.
In addition to regular thrift store operations, several stores also offer additional services, including free rapid STD
and HIV testing on a walk-in basis, along with counseling in a separate location of the store.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
chain of thrift stores whose revenues provide medical care for patients with HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. The chain is owned and operated by AIDS Healthcare Foundation
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
AIDS Healthcare Foundation , the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 152,000 individuals in 26 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia-Pacific Region and Eastern Europe...
(AHF), a Los Angeles-based global organization that provides medical, preventative, and educational resources for patients. AHF is the nation's largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention, and education provider. Out of the Closet thrift stores generate income to help fund the medical services AHF provides for those patients who are unable to pay. Proceeds from Out of the Closet Thrift Stores directly benefit AHF.
Background
Out Of The Closet was founded by AHF president and co-founder Michael Weinstein, whose retail experience stemmed from his family's furniture business on the East Coast. He opened the first Out Of The Closet in Atwater Village in 1990.In addition to Out of the Closet's retail activities, the stores provide customers with a variety of opportunities to donate to charity.
The store's merchandise comes directly from donations, and therefore the store's revenues are directly reliant upon neighborhood charity. Merchandise sold includes adult clothing, consumer electronics, furniture, bric-a-brac, jewelry, handbags, shoes, and books.
There are now 13 Out of the Closet locations throughout Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
and four locations in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The 'Out of the Closet' name has been federally trademarked by AHF since 1997.
In addition to regular thrift store operations, several stores also offer additional services, including free rapid STD
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
and HIV testing on a walk-in basis, along with counseling in a separate location of the store.