Top Buttons opens in downtown St. Pete

A new “upscale” thrift store with a mission to empower young women has made its debut in downtown St. Petersburg. 

Top Buttons, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, celebrated the grand opening of its first affiliate store, 861 Central Ave.,  Sept. 20. Top Buttons accepts designer clothing donations and resells them, using the proceeds to fund organizations that support young women in need.

Top Buttons’ St. Pete location is an affiliate of Top Buttons, Inc., founded by Sarah Powers in Lakeland more than a decade ago. The organization has three thrift boutiques in Polk County. The downtown St. Pete location is its first foray into Pinellas County.

Officials from the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce helped affiliate owner and CEO of Top Buttons St. Pete Sara Garas (second from left) celebrate her boutique’s grand opening with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

“Our model is to be where we bring joy and where there is a lot of foot traffic, because we want to have a bigger impact,” said Sara Garas, affiliate owner and CEO of Top Buttons St. Pete. “I chose this spot because this is where we can reach people. If we are in a remote area, our impact will not be as big, and we are here to make a positive and lasting effect on St. Pete.”

As an organization, Top Buttons’ mission is to build self-worth in young women through mentorship, education and fashion. The nonprofit accomplishes this through supporting other local initiatives and its own “Wearing Confidence Program,” which allows girls and women between 11 and 25 years old to shop for free when nominated by a civic or religious organization.

“It’s not just a boutique; It’s a mission to empower young women in at-risk situations,” Garas explained. “We also do workshops for them with resume building, interview skills and career counseling. We partner with local organizations here in St. Pete so we can work with them to help the young women in at-risk situations get a brighter future and give them the right resources and tools to be active members of the community.”

Community involvement is crucial to the success of Top Buttons. The store relies on donations from local residents to stock its shelves with high-quality, gently-used clothing, shoes, jewelry, accessories and formalwear. Donors receive a tax receipt for their contributions and a 20% discount on regular-priced items on the day of donation.

The nonprofit also promotes sustainable fashion. Garas explains that any donated clothing that doesn’t meet the boutique’s high standards is repurposed through partnerships with other organizations: “We don’t throw anything away. We recycle and donate to other organizations who can use the items.”

Artwork at Top Buttons reinforces the nonprofit’s mission of building self-worth in young women through mentorship, education and fashion.

For Garas, who volunteers her time as the CEO of the St. Petersburg location, the mission is personal. Raised in the Middle East, she experienced firsthand the challenges women face in oppressive environments. Now, she’s using her experience to help those closer to home. 

“I saw some women here in the community who have been in human trafficking, abuse or addiction,” she said. “I thought, since I could thrive in the Middle East, with the wonderful community support we have here, we can definitely make an even bigger impact in St. Pete. That is why we focus on ages 11 to 25 years old; the brain is still developing, so this is where you can really help them steer things back on the right track.”

The store is open for shopping and donation drop-off Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Garas is actively looking for nonprofits to partner with, and encourages organizations that serve Top Buttons’ target age group to reach out at tbstpete.org.

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