For a thrift store – even an upscale store that specializes in high-quality used goods – it takes a lot of sales to add up to $2 million. But that’s just what the volunteers who operate St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary Upscale Thrift Store have done since founding the store in 2008.
“The credit goes to all of our wonderful Auxiliary volunteers who make this store possible,” said Angie Patterson, manager of St. Mary’s gift shop and thrift store. “We are blessed with a dedicated and hard-working group of volunteers who are committed to raising funds for St. Mary’s and who were eager to reopen and staff the store after our 13-month COVID shutdown.”
“I am in awe at what our volunteers do,” St. Mary’s President and CEO Montez Carter said. “We are forever grateful for their commitment and dedication to our health care ministry. On behalf of everyone at St. Mary’s, it is my honor to say thank you.”
“Our thrift store volunteers have fun and work hard, which is a great combination for success,” said Betty Stoker, Auxiliary president. “Their passion and the generosity of our donors is what keeps our little store thriving and filled with a great selection of quality merchandise. Shopping is an adventure because you never know what you will find, but you know it will be good.”
For example, because it specializes in upscale goods, the store often receives donations of name-brand items in mint condition. Patterson recalls recent donations of handbags by makers such as Dooney & Bourke and Coach – each retailing for about $500 – with sales tags still attached. The thrift store sold them for $75-$100 each.
The upscale thrift store was first envisioned in 2007. Then-Auxiliary President Wanda Lash-Sorenson pitched the idea to the Auxiliary Board of Directors as a way to raise funds for St. Mary’s Hospice Services, which provides care to anyone with a life-limiting condition, regardless of their ability to pay. Noting that the Athens area did not have a high-end thrift store, Lash-Sorenson felt there was an empty niche in the market that the Auxiliary could fill.
The Auxiliary Board agreed, and a few months later, St. Mary’s Health Care System Board of Directors gave its official consent. St. Mary’s agreed to let the Auxiliary use a vacant storefront that the hospital owns on Broad Street and provided labor from its Engineering staff to renovate the facility. A loan to cover the cost of renovation was provided by St. Mary’s Foundation, and the store opened on April 22, 2008.
It was an instant success. In the store’s first six weeks, volunteers sold $17,268 worth of goods.
“An incredible amount of volunteer work goes into each sale,” said Patterson, one of two St. Mary’s colleagues who provide professional assistance to the 25 active volunteers who operate the store. “Donated items have to be solicited, checked for quality, cleaned, sorted, priced, displayed and sold. It’s a very hands-on process, and we are always seeking additional volunteers, especially as we work to expand our hours and open six days a week.”
A few years ago, the store’s mission was broadened beyond hospice to help meet funding needs anywhere in the St. Mary’s system of care. The store covers its own expenses, from keeping the lights on to paying back the loan that funded the initial renovations, which it did in just a few years. After deducting all expenses, the volunteers have been able to generate nearly $1.2 million for St. Mary’s and its services.
“The funds raised through the Auxiliary’s upscale thrift store have been a huge help to St. Mary’s and our patients,” said Jeff Brown, vice president of operations. “Because of their support, we are better able to acquire needed equipment, improve access to care, and offset the cost of care for those who are uninsured or underinsured. Everyone who volunteers, donates to, or shops at our Auxiliary’s thrift store helps us provide dignity, comfort and hope to our patients, especially those who are most vulnerable or in desperate circumstances.”
“I am so proud of our dedicated and enthusiastic team,” said Pat Schlotzhauer, thrift store committee chair. “Every one of our volunteers gives of themselves out of the goodness of their heart. We enjoy volunteering at the thrift store and are proud to be part of St. Mary’s healing mission.”
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