PRP-R3 Thrift Store in Deep River
Winter Caplanson
PRP-R3 Second hand shop
112 Elm St., Deep River
Allison Sloane has always been passionate about rescuing animals, and over her many years of doing so she has realized that one particular group of animals is often overlooked: the exotics, which she calls “the forgotten souls of the animal world”. Thus, in 2016 Sloane founded the non-profit Pandemonium Rainforest Project (PRP), dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of exotic animals such as parrots and reptiles, and in 2020 opened PRP-R3 in Deep River, a thrift store hand whose income goes to do just that. This, however, is not a thrift store. First, it’s huge: 12,000 square feet of everything from vintage clothing and vinyl to jewelry and sports gear to home decor and books, books, and more books. Second, it is located in an ivory mill of Pratt, Read & Co. from 1856 with centuries of industrial-chic charm to spare. And then there’s Café Ella downstairs for hot cookies and chat over coffee. A gazebo with a bonfire around which to enjoy live music on weekends. And while PRP’s rescued parrots are temporarily living their best lives at Sloane’s other Deep River venture, a flower shop called Ashleigh’s Garden, a new sanctuary for extraordinary exotics was recently completed on the grounds of R3 and funds are being raised to finish its interior and add a yurt to be used for educational purposes. The store is open Tuesday through Sunday, and to keep it well stocked, it accepts donations Thursday through Saturday. — Michelle Bodak Acri
pandemoniumrainforestproject.org • 860-322-4275