arc Thrift Stores funds programs supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through the national Arc network. In Albuquerque they operate one location on the west side. NMLP is a books-and-media specialist that accepts the categories thrift channels decline. Honest comparison.
Disclosure: I run NMLP. arc Thrift Stores is operated by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit aligned with The Arc, the national advocacy organization for people with IDD. Donations to arc are tax-deductible; donations to NMLP are not (NMLP is a for-profit business). This page tries to identify which donor situation favors which channel rather than to recommend one over the other in all cases. Both are legitimate. They serve different donor needs.
Two operations, side by side
arc Thrift Stores Albuquerque
One Albuquerque location:
- 3301 Coors Blvd NW, Suite 2, Albuquerque, NM 87120 — Ladera Shopping Center, west side
- Phone: (505) 831-4430
- Posted hours: Monday–Saturday 9 AM–9 PM, Sunday 10 AM–6 PM (some sources show variation; call ahead)
- Yelp: 3.9 stars from 8 reviews
501(c)(3) nonprofit operated by arcthrift.com, the national arc Thrift Stores chain. Revenue funds programs that support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through The Arc national network. Books are accepted as a secondary inventory category alongside clothing, housewares, kitchen items, and furniture. Standard thrift condition rules apply. Drop-off only; large donations can be coordinated by calling ahead. Donations are tax-deductible (receipt at door).
New Mexico Literacy Project
One warehouse at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque, NM 87107. Free 24/7 outdoor drop bin. Free home pickup by appointment, anywhere in metro Albuquerque and surrounding NM communities, operator (Josh) handles loading. No condition rules — water-damaged, ex-library, textbooks of any age, encyclopedias, marked-up copies, magazines, unsorted bulk all accepted. Books-and-media-only intake (no clothing, no housewares, no furniture). Readable books hand-sorted and routed to direct buyers via Amazon and eBay (revenue funds operations), to APS Title I classroom libraries, UNM Children’s Hospital pediatric reading carts, and Little Free Libraries. Unsalvageable books go to a regional commercial paper recycler. Donations are not tax-deductible because NMLP is a for-profit business.
The comparison table
| Factor | arc Thrift Stores | NMLP |
|---|---|---|
| Tax status | 501(c)(3) (IDD advocacy) | For-profit NM business |
| Tax-deductible | Yes — receipt at door | No |
| Free home pickup | Limited — large-donation coordination by phone; primarily drop-off | Yes (books-and-media specialty, no condition rules, operator loads) |
| Drop-off hours | Mon–Sat 9 AM–9 PM, Sun 10 AM–6 PM (call to verify) | 24/7 outdoor bin |
| ABQ locations | 1 (3301 Coors Blvd NW) | 1 warehouse + metro pickup |
| Water/mold damage | Rejected | Accepted |
| Ex-library copies | Generally rejected | Accepted |
| Textbooks > 5 yrs | Generally rejected | Accepted |
| Encyclopedias / Reader’s Digest | Generally rejected | Accepted |
| Magazines / periodicals | Generally rejected | Accepted |
| CDs / DVDs / audiobooks | Yes (sellable condition) | Yes (any condition) |
| Vinyl records | Sometimes | Yes |
| Clothes / housewares / furniture | Yes (primary inventory) | No |
| Pre-sorting required | Yes (donor pre-sorts) | No |
| Where books go | Thrift store shelves at typical thrift prices; unsold cycles to clearance, then recycling/refuse | Hand-sort: direct buyers (Amazon/eBay) + APS Title I + UNMCH + LFLs + paper recycling |
| Mission funded | Programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through The Arc network | Books-to-readers programs; metro recycling stream |
Which donor situation favors which channel?
arc Thrift Stores is the right call when:
- You specifically want to support The Arc’s national advocacy and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- You’re donating clothes, shoes, housewares, kitchen items, or furniture and the books are part of a mixed batch
- You itemize deductions and want the 501(c)(3) tax receipt
- Your books are clean, current, mainstream categories
- You live near 3301 Coors Blvd NW or can comfortably drive to the Ladera Shopping Center during business hours
- You have one or two boxes you can drop off in your trunk
NMLP is the right call when:
- Your books include the categories arc rejects at intake (water-damaged, ex-library, textbooks, encyclopedias, magazines, marked-up, bulk-unsorted)
- You can’t load and drive — estate cleanout, downsizing, mobility constraint, out-of-state coordinator handling a parent’s home
- You need 24/7 availability — arc Thrift Store closes at 9 PM weekdays; NMLP’s outdoor drop bin is always open
- You have unsorted bulk and don’t want to pre-sort by condition or category
- You want the books to route specifically to local Albuquerque schools, hospitals, and Little Free Libraries through named partnerships
- You’re donating only books and media (not clothes or housewares)
The hybrid play
Many Albuquerque cleanouts have mixed material. Best path:
- Pre-sort. Pull the clothes, the housewares, the kitchen items, and the current/clean books into an “arc Thrift Store stack.” Pull the damaged, ex-library, textbook, encyclopedia, magazine, and bulk-unsorted books into an “NMLP stack.”
- Drop the arc stack at 3301 Coors Blvd NW during business hours. Ask for the tax-deduction receipt if you itemize. The Ladera Shopping Center location handles mixed-category drop-offs at the back of the store.
- Call NMLP for the book bulk. 702-496-4214. I pick up the boxes arc won’t take. No sorting, no condition rules, I load.
- Result. arc absorbs the thrift-shelf-ready inventory and funds IDD advocacy. The book bulk and the rejected categories get hand-sorted and routed to local readers. Nothing in the landfill.
The honest critique of NMLP
Things arc Thrift Stores does that NMLP doesn’t and probably never will:
- Issue tax receipts. arc is 501(c)(3); NMLP is for-profit. If the deduction is what you need, arc wins by definition.
- Multi-category intake. arc takes clothing, shoes, housewares, kitchen items, furniture, and books in one drop-off. NMLP is books-and-media-only.
- Specific IDD advocacy mission. arc’s revenue funds The Arc network’s services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — education advocacy, employment programs, residential support, family resource navigation. NMLP doesn’t have an equivalent advocacy-mission focus.
- Long extended hours. arc’s 9 AM–9 PM weekday window covers most working donors’ schedules; NMLP’s drop bin is 24/7 but pickup is by appointment with one operator.
What NMLP genuinely adds
Two things arc Thrift Stores is structurally not built to do, that NMLP exists to do:
- Take what they can’t. Water-damaged books, ex-library copies, textbooks of any age, encyclopedias, Reader’s Digest condensed, magazines, marked-up copies, unsorted bulk. arc’s thrift-shelf model rejects all of those at the donation door. NMLP takes them. None lands in a landfill.
- Handle the physical work. arc requires the donor to load, drive, and unload at 3301 Coors Blvd NW. For a working donor with an estate to clean out and 50 boxes of books, that’s the friction that ends the project. NMLP’s free pickup at 702-496-4214 removes the friction — the operator drives, loads, and hauls.
Sources and verification
- arc Thrift Stores Albuquerque location: arcthrift.com/albuquerque
- arc Thrift Stores national site: arcthrift.com
- Yelp ABQ arc Thrift Store reviews: Yelp (3.9★, 8 reviews)
- The Arc of New Mexico (state chapter): arcnm.org
- NMLP Yelp profile: yelp.com/biz/new-mexico-literacy-project-albuquerque
- NMLP location and policies: newmexicoliteracyproject.org
Related comparison pages
- Goodwill vs NMLP for book donation — sibling 501(c)(3) thrift, workforce-development mission.
- Salvation Army vs NMLP — sibling 501(c)(3) church-affiliated thrift with SATruck pickup, 5 ABQ stores.
- Savers vs NMLP — sibling for-profit-with-partner-nonprofit thrift, three ABQ locations.
- Albuquerque Public Library vs NMLP — library system + Friends Bookshop side-by-side.
- Habitat ReStore vs NMLP — clarification page: Habitat ReStore at 4900 Menaul Blvd NE doesn’t accept books. Routes book donors to NMLP and explains what ReStore does take.
- Bookworks Albuquerque vs NMLP — clarification page: Bookworks (4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW) is a new-books-only indie bookstore. Doesn’t accept used-book donations. Routes donors to NMLP.
- Lifecycle of a donated book in Albuquerque — sourced investigation of every channel.
- Complete guide: 18 Albuquerque book donation channels compared.
Last reviewed 2026-05-16. NMLP is a for-profit New Mexico business; donations are not tax-deductible. arc Thrift Stores is operated by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliated with The Arc national network; donations are tax-deductible. arc location details cited are from their published store finder. Corrections: [email protected].