Gustafson Casts Off Bad Image Of Thrift Store, Poor
Lynn Gustafson hit the thrift business with tornado force six years ago. When the dust settled, St. Vincent de Paul’s Coeur d’Alene store had become one of the charity’s most lucrative.
As manager, she slashed prices and cleaned up the musty store on Walnut Street. “We’re here to serve the poor,” she says. “But that’s no reason not to look good.”
She hired society’s cast-offs and placed her trust in them. She found their talents and used them. One woman who liked to shop knew prices so well Lynn made her the store’s pricer.
Lynn gave her employees health and dental insurance and listened with an open heart to their problems. Sales skyrocketed and lives slipped into balance. St. Vincent’s poured its earnings into shelters and aid programs.
Lynn still is ready to give just about anyone willing to work a chance. But not everyone who works for her makes it. The job nearly killed Kenny the hobo, who drank away his salary. He’d never had money before. Lynn had to fire him for his health.
But for each Kenny, Lynn finds a Jane eager to work around the clock for the person who gives her a break.
Jane came to St. Vincent de Paul’s for help a year or so ago. She was poor and divorced with three children in tow. But she didn’t want a handout.
“She volunteered at the store every day until we hired her,” Lynn says with unrestrained admiration. “She’s on her feet now.”
Lynn has seen her share of takers. People have lied, stolen, bragged about beating the welfare system. Still, her faith remains intact.
“I think there are enough Janes out there,” she says.
What a Pain
Dr. DeLamar Gibbons uncapped a volcano before losing his medical license and leaving the state a year ago. You may remember he was the Silver Valley doctor accused of over-prescribing narcotics to help chronic-pain sufferers lead somewhat normal lives.
A lot of patients cried foul at the medical board’s treatment of the doc, mostly because they couldn’t find other doctors willing to take them on. Who wants to incur the wrath of the licensing board?
The flap did prompt the board to rewrite its pain medication guidelines. But the changes are slight, if any. Go meet the medical board Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kootenai Medical Center. Listen to the changes and tell them what you think. One slip on an icy sidewalk and you could be that person facing a life of pain….
What a Crowd
Tracee Hein didn’t plan a big wedding at Coeur d’Alene’s Colonial Wedding House Jan. 15. But on New Year’s Day, she found her biological mother after 20 years of searching. Her mother led her to her father, four sisters and a brother.
And everyone wanted to attend Tracee’s wedding.
Tracee is 32 and grew up in Spokane. For most of her searching years, her birth mother lived an hour’s drive away in Mullan. Her birth father and brother lived in Coeur d’Alene.
And here’s a nice twist: A Sacred Heart nurse who helped deliver one of Tracee’s children years ago turned out to be her aunt.
xxxx Best Friends My daughter, Megan, and her best friend, Marissa, are so attached, they never let go of one another during last summer’s Coeur d’Alene Youth Triathlon. They swam holding hands, rode a tandem bike and ran with their shoelaces tied together and arms linked. They won their division, too. What goofy, unforgettable things have you done with your best friend? Tell me about them in less than 300 words and send a photo. If your story is published, you’ll get a “Close to Home” surprise. Send your stories to Cynthia Taggart, “Close to Home,” 608 Northwest Blvd., Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, ID, 83814; or fax to 765-7149.