S. Elm St. Thrift Store, Greensboro: Mattress, TV, Stop Sign

S. Elm Street runs through south Greensboro, a stretch of the city lined with small, independently run shops rather than chain retailers. A thrift store along the street keeps its name hand-painted directly on the building's metal siding rather than on a manufactured sign. Secondhand goods set out front — a television, a stop sign, and bedding among them — reflect the resale and salvage trade common to small thrift operations, where merchandise often rotates through outdoor display before reaching the sales floor inside.

Photo taken in March 2012.