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Boomerangs bounces back
BY CHRIS WRIGHT
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A few years ago, things weren’t looking too good for Boomerangs. Three years after its opening, the funky, quirky, sometimes kitschy thrift store — whose proceeds benefit the AIDS Action Committee — succumbed to rising rents and dwindling foot traffic at its Canal Street location, and, in the spring of 2000, the store was forced to shut its doors. "There was talk that Boomerangs would have to close for good," says AIDS Action spokesman Chris Viveiros. "The whole point of the store was to make money for us, and if it wasn’t making money, then there was no need for it." And yet, in a comeback befitting its name, Boomerangs eventually reopened in Jamaica Plain — and flourished into the bargain. In fact, the JP location has done so well that AIDS Action recently opened a second store, in Brighton Center. Today, rather than an atmosphere of doom and gloom, there is excited talk of franchises proliferating in Boston and beyond. "There could be many Boomerangs around town," says Viveiros. "In Somerville, Cambridge, then we’ll see." To those who have shopped there, the revival of Boomerangs will not come as a huge shock. The store has always set itself apart from other resale shops by being very picky about what it will and won’t put on its shelves — you’ll find designer duds, weird tchotchkes, fancy hats, and spanking-new kitchen goods, but very little in the way of greasy, broken kids’ toys. And Boomerangs has always been a little more irreverent than your average thrift store. The new Brighton location, for instance, employed graffiti artists to decorate its interior. It currently boasts a display of Barbie dolls, including a New York Barbie carrying a Bloomingdale’s shopping bag. An opening party scheduled for this Saturday will feature karaoke. "We want people to have an experience when they come here," says manager Joe Haley. "We try to have as much fun as possible." And then there’s the fact that any money you spend at Boomerangs will go to a very good cause. The AIDS Action Committee, currently in its 20th year, is the oldest and largest AIDS-services organization in New England. In addition to helping people with housing, legal, and health-care issues, the organization invests heavily in measures designed to further prevention — a goal that is as important today as it’s ever been. "We just got some disturbing information from the CDC showing that between 1999 and 2002, AIDS infections went up 17 percent in gay men," says Viveiros. "In Massachusetts, the infection rate among young people has risen. We need to take a look at why people are putting themselves at risk again." Browsing the store — Ella Fitzgerald singing Christmas songs in the background, a scantily clad Summer Barbie grinning at you from her shelf — it can be easy to forget the sad and troubling issues that gave rise to Boomerangs. "I think that’s always been a part of the response to AIDS," says Viveiros. "It’s a serious issue, but you try to have fun dealing with it, because if you don’t, you’re going to go crazy." The new Boomerangs is located at 298 Washington Street, in Brighton. The opening party takes place Saturday, December 13, from 10:30 a.m. until closing. Call (617) 787-0500.
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