As the 28-year-old browses in the PTA Thrift Shop, he proudly speaks about his newly discovered "vintage" Cleveland Browns polo shirt.

"Now here is something you can't find in any regular store."

At a time when many retailers are struggling, secondhand stores like the thrift shop are becoming a more popular choice for some consumers.

Walker, a 10-year Carrboro resident, started buying from the PTA Thrift Shop when his son, Noah, was born six years ago. He visits the store every month and said its location is convenient, just across the street from his job at Akai Hana, where he is a manager.

"Everyone is down on their luck," he said. "It makes no sense to pay five times the price for an item at some high-end store you could get here for dirt cheap."

The PTS Thrift Shop, whose profits go to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools, is on track to do the same amount of business as last fiscal year, when it grossed more than $1.4 million.

But those numbers might change as the recession drags on.

In November 2008, the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops surveyed members to compare September-October sales with the same period the year before.

Nearly 75 percent said sales had increased -- with an average increase of approximately 35 percent.

But Barbara Jessie-Black, who has been executive director of PTA Thrift Shop for five years, says the recession is a double-edged sword.

To keep the customers coming the shop's two stores need steady donations, she said, and "everybody seems to be holding on to their belongings as of late."

Janie Williams, 46, has been shopping at the thrift shop for 10 years. She donates books, appliances, clothing, toys and furniture and said she's grateful for resale shops because they help her provide for her family, especially her four grandchildren.

"I don't know what people would do without these shops," she said.

Walker said the key to successful shopping is coming often to find items that may not have been in stock before.

While shopping for his son, Walker recently found picture frames and vinyl records for an art project for his new apartment.

"Half of it is the hunt," he said. "People snatch good stuff from here constantly. ... I usually have good luck."

"Without these places, I wouldn't have much."

MARCH BAG DAYS

The PTA Thrift Shop is clearing out its stores for spring merchandise. Fill a brown grocery bag (provided by the store) for just $3:

• Carrboro store, 103 Jones Ferry Road: Bag Day, March 7, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (New spring/summer merchandise available Monday, March 9)

• Village Plaza store, 103 S. Elliott Road: Bag Day, March 14, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (New spring/summer merchandise available Monday, March 16)