Darren Bawden strode into the thrift shop at the Church of the Holy Nativity in Aina Haina on a mission: to find a bargain-priced item, even if he didn’t need it.

The blue-eyed carpenter, complete with a cellphone holster and work boots, had a quick break between jobs to browse the tiny shop neatly cluttered with shelves of books and cookware, racks of blouses and dress shirts, and glass-enclosed display cases that house the most valuable items — like a vintage steak knife set for $6.

He won’t lie. He’s a self-described thrift store addict.

"Oh, my wife knows about my addiction," said Bawden, 46, laughing. "But I love this place."

No one knows exactly how long the thrift shop at Holy Nativity has been around, but it’s been decades. Proceeds from sales of gently used goods benefit not only the Episcopal church and its school, but also organizations such as the Hawaii Foodbank, the Institute for Human Services, the Kidney Foundation of Hawaii and the Friends of the Library of Hawaii.

There’s no shortage of people perusing the racks and shelves in search of a great deal. On a recent Friday a steady stream of customers flowed through the shop, which is somewhat hidden behind a gym, a shipping container-turned-office and the entirety of the Aina Haina Shopping Center.

Most were just looking for deals, nothing specific, almost aimlessly wandering between the two small rooms packed with thousands of donated goods. The selection is plentiful and random: shot glasses adorned with Tinkerbell, a Super Mario clutch wallet, a plastic bowl filled with plastic lemons, a wooden knife block, a waffle cone maker, a taco shell holder, a Mickey Mouse Pez candy dispenser and a hot pink bra, size 44D.

Bawden walked out that morning with an egg poacher, a silver-plated bowl, a teacup he couldn’t pass up because it was just $1, and nine music rolls from a player piano.

He doesn’t own a player piano. "But I’m thinking about getting one," he said, smiling.

WHILE THRIFT shops tend to see more business during times of economic hardship, the truth is, resale is a thriving, multibillion-dollar industry that includes nonprofit thrift stores, consignment shops and for-profit retailers selling secondhand merchandise.

According to the National Association of Resale Professionals, the number of these shops has increased 7 percent each year since 2010. Goodwill now operates more than 2,700 nonprofit stores, including nearly a dozen in Hawaii, and chain resaler Savers Thrift Stores, with more than 300 locations, including three in the isles, is adding about 20 new stores a year.

Newer resale shops like Plato’s Closet, which caters to the teen and college crowd, have become some of the fastest-growing retail chains. Plato’s Closet, which is franchised by Minnesota-based Winmark Corp., has nearly 400 stores throughout North America, including a shop on Beretania Street in Hono­lulu. A company website reports the average Plato’s Closet store had sales of $1.03 million in 2013.

The Holy Nativity shop is no slouch for its size, raking in between $800 and $1,200 every day it’s open — three days a week — without much overhead costs because all the workers are volunteers.

BEYOND pulling in substantial revenue, resale shops offer another benefit: the opportunity to reuse, recycle and re-purpose goods.

"I think these shops are really great for connecting people, creating jobs and supporting the community," said Sheri Saka­moto, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii, who has donated to the Holy Nativity thrift store. "People have a higher consciousness about recycling and saving money and about looking at the bigger picture and how all this affects us, which is good. We’ve come a long way because of that."

The trend to be thrifty is a growing one.

According to America’s Research Group, a consumer research firm, about 16 percent to 18 percent of Americans will shop at a thrift store during any given year. To put this into perspective, during the same time frame, 21.3 percent will shop in major department stores.

All sorts of people shop at the Holy Nativity Thrift Shop, from real estate agents looking for cheap household items for staging a home, to collectors searching for an overlooked treasure.

Sally Lampson Kanehe, a retired but still active social worker and faculty member at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, tries to come in every day the shop is open, looking for puzzles or toys she can give to needy families. Sometimes she picks up a few things for herself.

"You never know what you’re going to find," said the 72-year-old, armed with a huge shopping bag and wearing comfortable Croc slippers. "That’s the fun of it."

The thrift shop boasts about 30 volunteers, including a handful of regulars who do everything from price items to work the register. Their average age hovers around 70.

On the same day Bawden, the carpenter, dropped in, Michele Cockett, a tall and leggy 80-year-old grandmother and former model, was sorting through donations in the back room. The volunteers use a guide to price goods depending on quality and condition.

"If I were home sitting around, I’d feel old," she said, her blue eyes shining. "Here I don’t feel old."

Kate Roberts has been volunteering there the longest. Depending on the day you ask her, that can range from 35 to 38 years. She knows most of the regular customers by their first names.

"I really like the companionship here," said Roberts, who, like some of the volunteers, got involved as a member of the church. "And I like to buy stuff at half-price. Oh, I’ve taken a lot of prized items home."

Items are generally priced from $3 to $5, though the shop has been given rare and valuable pieces worth a lot more. At last check a pair of ebony chopsticks by Paris-based Christofle that retails at $480 was selling at the thrift store for $120. A vintage iron betel nut box recently sold for $125, and four mink coats combined for $500. But those finds — the kind fans of PBS’ "Antiques Roadshow" daydream about — are rare.

"We don’t get a lot of crazy items like that, but from time to time they come through," said longtime volunteer Marjorie Grune, 83, whose outfit — khaki pants and a polo shirt — was bought from the thrift shop. "Sometimes we find treasures we didn’t even know we had."

The shop has seen some changes in recent months, with security cameras installed outside and an overhaul of the interior to create more space. And thanks to manager Nolan Hong, who’s about 40 years younger than his volunteers, the shop is all over social media.

"To me it’s not your typical thrift shop," said Hong, 34, who enlisted his friends to repaint and renovate the shop last year. "We’re focused on providing a fun and exciting shopping experience through our layout and design of our shop, the unique products we sell … and the ultrafriendly volunteers who treat everyone like family. Shopping at Holy Nativity Thrift Shop is like ‘Cheers’ — where everybody knows your name."

AFTER ABOUT an hour of browsing, Kanehe, the retired social worker, walked up to the register with $88 worth of goods ranging from a black strapless dress to a microwave rice cooker and oversize Winnie the Pooh doll.

And just as she was rounding the counter to head out the door, Kanehe stopped and pointed to something in the glass case.

"What’s this little tea set?" she asked Grune. "It’s darling."

Grune pulled it out from behind the glass case and gently placed it on the counter.

"Oh, you know, my daughter would love that," Kanehe said. Grune just smiled.

There was a pause. Then Kanehe grabbed the $15 tea set with one hand and waved to Grune with the other.

"Why don’t you just put that on my tab?" she tossed over her shoulder as she walked out the front door, grinning.