Exeter Shop Owner Overwhelmed as Viral £1 Thrift Store Draws Massive Crowds from Far and Wide
An Exeter entrepreneur has found herself at the centre of an unexpected retail frenzy after a video featuring her £1 thrift warehouse skyrocketed in popularity on TikTok. Carmen Croxall, 37, who launched the Thrift Warehouse and Secondhand Craft Shop earlier this year, has described the surge of interest as both exhilarating and deeply stressful, leading to days of constant anxiety.
Carmen originally established the warehouse out of concern for the environmental consequences of excessive waste generated by traditional charity shops. Repurposing a redundant space leftover from a previous business adventure, she set about collecting surplus donations from local charity shops, determined to keep as many items as possible out of landfill. By selling everything for just £1 apiece, Carmen hoped to create an affordable outlet for local families, whilst tackling the broader issue of needless waste.
However, Carmen’s situation changed dramatically after a short video tour of her shop “blew up” online. Very quickly, word spread across social media, and eager shoppers began to travel from across the country to explore the store’s unique selection and irresistible pricing. Some travelled for hours from cities as far afield as Farnham, Bristol, St Ives, and Bournemouth, forming queues outside and rapidly emptying the shelves inside.
The response, while initially heartening, has proved unsustainable for the shop’s small team and limited resources. Carmen reported that 12,000 items were snapped up in less than seven days, wiping out months of carefully accumulated stock almost overnight. With no steady stream of new goods, keeping up with this newfound demand has presented an ongoing challenge. “We rely completely on donations, so we can’t just order more when it runs out,” she explained.
As stock levels dwindled, disappointment followed. Carmen began noticing negative reviews online, with some visitors expressing frustration after travelling long distances only to find shelves nearly bare. “I put out desperate pleas for new donations and offered to stay open late so people could drop things off,” she recalled. During the recent school holidays, Carmen worked until 10pm most nights, striving to keep the shop running smoothly, but the stress soon became overwhelming.
The Thrift Warehouse operates as a not-for-profit community interest company, priding itself on its ‘give and take’ ethos. Carmen had envisioned a shared resource for the local community, not a destination for bargain-hunters from afar. As she noted, the shop’s success depends not just on people buying, but also donating – something that’s unlikely when most shoppers are making one-off, long-distance trips driven by a viral social media trend.
The journey has not been without its bright moments. Since the shop’s February launch, Carmen has been heartened by local enthusiasm for her idea, watching both the warehouse and its stock grow with every wave of community donations. By pricing items at just £1 – which she describes as a “processing fee” covering costs – the shop has been able to offer everything from everyday essentials to rare finds, helping families save money while preventing good-quality goods from ending up in landfill.
Reselling, however, is strictly discouraged. “We don’t want people buying bargains here and flipping them online for a profit,” Carmen said. “That would defeat the whole purpose of keeping things affordable for everyone.” The shop’s strict stance on resellers has become an integral part of its operations, designed to uphold its core values of fairness and community.
On particularly busy days, Carmen admits the crowds were “a little intimidating”. She described the May bank holiday as “insanely busy”, with lines out the door and an atmosphere more akin to a club night than a second-hand store. Nevertheless, she encourages local shoppers to make repeated visits rather than planning huge hauls, since the stock changes daily and new items appear all the time – much like a continually revolving car boot sale.
Despite the immense pressure and logistical hurdles, Carmen remains proud of what she has achieved, and the essential role the shop now plays for many in Exeter. She acknowledges the need to refine the donation process and to manage expectations among new visitors. Still, she hopes her story highlights both the joys and complexities of running a truly community-oriented business in the age of instant online fame.