Thriftshop longtime part of social fabric

Tag : Fabric
ENTERPRISE — A beehive of activity forms every Monday and Tuesday at 9a.m. at the old brick building at 105 Northeast First St. inEnterprise and continues to closing at 4 in the afternoon.
A steady stream of shoppers and contributors flows through thedoors, some looking for a good deal on quality used items, othersdropping off bags and boxes of goods that will eventually besorted, priced and sold at the Soroptimists’ Thriftshop inthe basement of the Odd Fellows Hall.
Mothers-to-be and new moms looking for economically-priced toys,clothes and equipment for Baby, sort through donated items forre-sale. Quilters search for that swath of “just right” print.Collectors check the shelves for that carnival glass sugar bowl.
Teenagers know this is the place to find a funky old fedora andplaid sport coat to complement their jeans and skater shoes.
Moms and dads know the Thriftshop is a great place to find soccershoes with only one season’s wear and maybe even shin guardsto go with them.
School clothes, winter coats, vintage garments for costumes oraccessories — all can be found on the crowded racks, shelvesand bins at the Thriftshop. Arlene Herbst and Carolyn Gilbert arethe primary sorters of the clothes.
“We look for clean clothes, no stains or rips. We watch forthe vintage fabrics. You have to have an eye for that. I askArlene. I might think it’s just ugly. She decides ifit’s something special,” says Gilbert, Soroptimistvolunteer and president of the organization. “We keep theprices low, so people can afford what they need. Lots of items arepriced at a quarter. We see lots of people buying school clothesbut other things — luggage, records, CDs, householdappliances — are also available at reasonable prices.”
Gilbert says this is the time of year the shop is swamped withdonated items. Yard sales abound during the summer and much of theunsold yard sale merchandise finds its way to the SoroptimistThriftshop.
“We get some junk, but we also get good brands in goodcondition. Sometimes with tags still on them. We ask that peopledonate good, clean, saleable items, but don’t always getthat. We sort it and some of what is donated goes into the dumpsterbecause it is not useable,” Gilbert says.
Every effort is made by the volunteer members of the Soroptimiststo salvage what is donated. All of the “too well used”T-shirts are boxed and sold as rags. All the buttons are cut offstained or torn shirts and and resold. Fabric suitable for quiltsis salvaged from non-wearable garments.
Gilbert says the racks are cleared of unsold items that have beenon display for a month and redistributed to thrift shops in otherareas. Clothing and other needed items are donated on request toSafe Harbors, the domestic violence support program in WallowaCounty.
If families experience loss of their home and possessions in ahouse fire or other disaster, anything they need from the thriftshop is donated as well.

A visit to the Thriftshop reveals another aspect of this thrivingenterprise. Eight to 10 volunteers divide the work of acceptingdonations, sorting merchandise, running the cash rigister andhelping shoppers. The customers, some of whom are waiting at thedoor in the morning, mingle and cruise through the racks, herdingchildren as they go. Some come in pairs, pushing strollers. Thereis conversation and laughter, children playing. It is a socialgathering as much as a place to shop.
“I have seen people come in and spend hours visiting —they don’t buy much, it’s just a social outlet forthem. A place to interact with others in the community,”Gilbert says.
The Soroptimist Thriftshop has also served as a work experiencesite for students and for adults re-entering the workplace.
One student who came to work at the Thriftshop was so shy shewouldn’t speak to anyone, Herbst says. She eventually foundher niche and now is an integral part of the social and commercialscene.
“She is very good with babies and volunteers to hold andentertain the babies while moms shop,” Herbst says.
The Soroptimists’ presence in Wallowa County began in 1947.The group has worked hard to make a difference in the communities.They have sponsored plays, musicals and ballet performances thatthey weren’t sure would be attended.
“We are a rural community and we wondered how it would bereceived. Everyone came!” wrote Pearl Collinsworth in her“Brief History of Soroptimist International in WallowaCounty.”
In October 1957 they opened the thrift shop in a building that wason the site where Wallowa Mountain Properties is now, on the cornerof River and Grant streets. It was a risky decision that required ahuge commitment from a group of volunteers, according toCollinsworth’s account.
The shop moved briefly into the old Stockdale Building, which nolonger exists, and then into the EM&M Building on Main Streetin Enterprise. In 1983 the Soroptimist Thriftshop found a permanenthome in the basement of the Odd Fellows Hall on Northeast FirstStreet where there was space to accommodate the growing business.With this move the hours of operation expanded to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Mondays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays each week. On the firstMonday of each month the shop is open until 6 p.m. to accommodateteenage shoppers coming after school and customers who work until 5p.m.
The steady income from the thrift shop enables the Soroptimists tofund ongoing local programs. Contributions of $1,500 each are madeto the Senior Meals and Meals on Wheels, with another $2,000 goingto the food bank. The group also supports free fishing day, ChiefJoseph Summer Camp, Hells Canyon Mule Days and the CourthouseConcert Series.
A total of $1,400 in scholarships are awarded to high schoolseniors. The club also provides $1,000 to the winner of the AliceLessman Memorial Award; $1,000 to a 14-to 17-year-old for communityservice with the Violet Richardson Award; and $2,000 is availablethrough the Women of Opportunity Scholarship that is awarded tosingle mothers returning to school.
An award of $900 is contributed toward elementary school fieldtrips. Funding is available for mammograms for low-incomeindividuals without insurance. A $1,000 pledge for four years tothe new Wallowa Memorial Hospital was made, and the groupcontributes the cookies for blood donors at the local bloodmobile.
General requests for funding are granted to the community forspecial projects or needs from a fund of $15,000. This year groupscan apply for large grants of up to $5,000.
Soroptimist International of the America is an internationalorganization for business and professional women who volunteer intheir communities. Almost 41,000 members in 19 countries contributetime and support to projects of benefit to women and girls andcontribute to their communities.
The local Soroptimist board includes Gilbert as president, MarciaSwenson as vice president, Sandy Lathrop as recording secretary andAnn Browder as correspondence secretary. Dolores Bridges andDolores Herrera are treasurer and assistant treasurer. Kathy Normanand Gayle Walter are board members and Beth Hough is delegate toconventions.
Anyone interested in joining the Soroptimists can talk to anyvolunteer at the thrift shop or call Gilbert at 432-7535.