Pirates Booty Thrift Store: Former contractor opens new secondhand shop just off Interstate 5 in Lewis County

For thrifters, the joy of shopping comes from finding something you like among items someone else didn’t and therefore donated to the thrift store.

The majority of thrift stores operate this way, relying on donations from community members to keep inventory coming in.

That’s not how Justin Setala runs his new secondhand shop, though.

The Pirates Booty Thrift Store is located at 102 Noble Fir Lane just off Exit 68 on Interstate 5 at the beginning of the White Pass Scenic Byway on U.S. Highway 12. The location is next to Ron’s Produce Stand, Dirtworx Equipment Sales and Old Hickory Sheds.

Instead of accepting donations, Setala sources inventory from storage units.

He held the store’s soft opening on Memorial Day weekend and is now open every Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Setala owns and runs The Pirates Booty together with his wife, Kelsey.

“My wife helps every once in a while. Can’t find any good help,” Setala said.

Prior to running the thrift store, he was a contractor earning a six-figure salary as a licensed Washington state home inspector and home remodeler.

“I had a great job, six-figure job … But my grandma passed away, so I started taking care of my grandpa. He was pretty self-sufficient. I could get that stuff done in the morning, and then I had to do something,” Setala said. “(The Pirates Booty) didn’t tie me down, so I started this.”

Given that he’s only open two days a week, running The Pirates Booty certainly doesn’t tie him down much.

But he isn’t open during the week just because he’s taking time off. That’s when he’s out traveling and restocking The Pirates Booty’s inventory by purchasing abandoned or delinquent payment-seized storage units at auctions.

“I buy units in Vancouver, Seattle, all over the place … I’ve bought over 70 now,” Setala added.

He got his start in buying abandoned storage collections while he was still a contractor. And at The Pirates Booty’s location, he used to set up tents to sell what he would find.

“Before I’d remodel a house, I’d empty the contents out. There would be good stuff in there, so we’d just have sales out of our tents,” said Setala.

It wasn’t much of a jump from there to build a giant garage, as it’s a lot easier to lock up at night and leave instead of having to pack up all unsold inventory every night when taking down the tents.

“Now I can just shut the door and go home,” he said.

And his home is just a couple minutes down the road from The Pirates Booty to boot.

As for the actual inventory, Setala cleans everything and prices it all before putting it on the shelves. Additionally, he tests machines and electronics before selling them.

When The Chronicle visited on Saturday, Aug. 9, items on the shelves ranged from traditional thrift store finds like used clothes, kitchen tools and dishes to still-sealed-in-box LEGO sets and action figures, and even a set of 19-inch MOMO rims.

There were also shelves filled with Blu-ray movies and video games, power tools, Apple computers, fish tanks, furniture and even new-looking road and mountain bikes.

When bidding on a storage unit, Setala can only look at what’s in the front of the unit, so whatever else he finds after buying it is always a surprise.

While not officially accepting donated items, community members still do sometimes bring secondhand items they’re trying to get rid of.

“What we do is I just have a huge free pile outside, so when people bring things, I just put them out there. I ask them first, say ‘You won’t have your feelings hurt if I just give it away?’ Just kind of help out the community. We’re all struggling right now, everything’s expensive,” Setala said.

The pricing at The Pirates Booty is fair as well, as before learning The Chronicle was in the store, Setala made a deal with a local youth selling him a scooter for $5.

For more information on The Pirates Booty Thrift Store, message Setala on the business’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/4xst7j9e. 

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To suggest a business to be featured by The Chronicle, email reporter Owen Sexton at owen@chronline.com or call 360-736-3311 during business hours.