Thrift Store’s Profits Add Up To Scholarships

Betty Kedish and Mable Doyle walked slowly to the podium in the hot auditorium and faced an audience of 300 high school seniors and their parents. By the time Mable had uttered two brief sentences, the two silver-haired ladies received a thunderous standing ovation.

For the third year in a row, the Senior Citizens’ Thrift Store had raised $10,000 worth of college scholarships for Bonner County’s graduating seniors.

Mable and Betty, as representatives from the store, had come to Class Night at Sandpoint High to hand out scholarships, worth $500 apiece, to 15 seniors. Three more scholarships went to Priest River seniors, and two were awarded to Clark Fork students.

“That’s the first standing ovation I’ve ever received,” Mable said later. “I didn’t know if I was going to cry or pass out. It was great.

“Then one of the little girls, Erin Loman, came and gave Betty and me a hug,” she added. “We really appreciated it.”

Loman plans to attend North Idaho College and take prerequisite courses for a degree in marine biology.

Humanitarian efforts of the Senior Citizens’ Thrift Store at 806 Lake St. in Sandpoint go beyond college scholarships, as does the bond between seniors and young people. In fact, it’s cool for senior high school students to purchase much of their wardrobe at the thrift store.

Mable and Betty, along with about 13 other senior volunteers, take turns operating the business six days a week. From the time the store opens at 10 a.m. until closing at 4, the store teems with activity. If the phone’s not ringing, the door’s opening the way for donors bearing brown bags of clothing or customers seeking items for everyday wear or special events.

Before entering, shoppers receive a reminder in the window that honesty is the best policy. “All donations are property of the Senior Citizens,” the white cardboard sign in the window reads. “Thou Shalt Not Steal.” Inside, volunteers count out nickels and pennies to have on hand in the 40-something New Orleans Bourbon Street cash register that was donated years ago.

On a typical day, college students like Ben Spencer and Carrie Morrill sort through shirts and vests.

“I’m getting clothes to wear at the cannery in Alaska,” Ben says, as Josephine rings up a $2.10 bill for six pullover shirts.

When she’s not taking change, Josephine Salters often acts as enforcer to smaller youngsters running amok in the parking lot outside.

“They let them run wild, and they know I’ll yell at them,” Josephine says.

She worries about kids darting in front of moving automobiles.

While waiting on customers, sorting clothes or just keeping track of shoppers, volunteers get a pulse on what’s hot and what’s not.

“Corduroy doesn’t stay long,” Mable says. “The kids have been buying all the corduroy … they like the pants that are so baggy the crotch hangs way down.”

“They also like sports jackets and vests,” she adds.

Ten cents for socks or 50 cents for long-sleeved shirts adds up to lots of dollars. And those dollars go out the door for scholarships and at least 16 other community causes.

Besides paying the bills for the Senior Citizens Center, thrift store profits go to three soup kitchens, the Bonner County Library, the Bonner Gospel Mission and the community Food Bank. Toys for Tots and the Shriners, along with several other beneficiaries, also receive thrift store donations.

Mable Doyle likes volunteering at the store. It seemed a natural thing to do after 24 years behind the counter at a downtown drug store for the 75-year-old grandmother of two.

“I really enjoy meeting the people and the young ones that come in,” she says. “I’m real happy about that because I know we’re helping everyone, not just one person.”