Rafael Rodriguez peers down into a plastic carrier. Staring back are two pillows, one with a brilliant, red-stitched smile. “My daughters are 8 and 6,” he explains.

There is a certain playful symmetry at the Better Buy Thrift Shop on Bethlehem’s Southside. Lizzy, who handled his transaction, has hair an alarming red – colored, she explains, in five different hues.

The thrift shop stretches along the lower level at Cathedral Church of the Nativity in South Bethlehem, offering a wide array of goods – shoes to slacks, pantsuits to tweeds, even luggage. Women’s clothing is heavily represented, but so, too, is clothing for children.

Denise Iervolino, who manages the shop, says prices typically are less than those at similar Lehigh Valley thrift shops. As an example, she holds up several items for kids. Items for ages 1 through 6 are but $1 each, and for ages 7 through roughly 12, $2. One bargain item is labeled North Face, a pricey brand.

“I can find a lot of good stuff at amazing prices,” agrees one shopper, who describes herself as a regular but withholds her name. Another, who gives her name only as May, adds something that is important to her. “They give back to the community,” she says.

A list at the cash wrap is long, covering more than a dozen recipients of cash, clothing or both. Familiar names include Fountain Hill Elementary and New Bethany.

If the shop floor is crowded, so, too, is a sorting area at the rear where dozens of boxes are stacked against walls (most labeled as containing eggs). Some boxes contain overflow, others seasonal items.

Donations have increased year by year, says Iervolino, in large measures as aging Baby Boomers downsize or shed garments no longer needed as households change.

The shop is mainly volunteer run. More helpers always are welcome.

The Thrift Shop is opened Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Its easiest access is from the church parking lot along West Third Street, approaching Wyandotte. Parking also is available at 321 Wyandotte St.