Store seeks woman who donated nails – and money

Doors and windows, nails and plumbing fixtures — typical construction treasures one would find at a builder’s store. But the Habitat Spokane Builders Surplus Store, which sells donated new and used building materials at discount prices, also has an unusual fortune on its inventory: A 13-pound bag of coins, many of them silver.

Since last September, the store has been trying to find the woman who donated a can full of nails with the bag of coins nested at the bottom.

Store manager Jeff Howard said unless the owner claims them soon, the coins will be sold and the proceeds will be used to help build Habitat for Humanity homes.

Habitat has yet to have the cache appraised or make a decision on how and when to sell it, Howard said.

Among the pieces are silver coins, rolls of Bicentennial quarters, half-dollars and dollars, $2 bills and a British pound note.

A few people have tried to claim the coins, but it was evident that the coins didn’t belong to them, Howard said.

Howard said the store has kept the coins so long with the hope that the owner might return.

“They don’t serve us any purpose,” Howard said. “Our whole goal is to raise money for homes.”

Laurie Falk, who has volunteered at the store for about four years, said he was there when the mysterious woman made the donation.

“I’m the only one who can ID her,” said Falk. She was middle-aged and brunette and drove a white car, Falk said.

The woman brought in two cardboard boxes with different jars of nails. One box seemed to take some effort for her to lift, Falk said.

“She was struggling to put it on the counter,” he said, adding that the woman said, “the can is chock full of nails.”

“I don’t think that poor lady knew (the coins) were there,” Falk said. “It doesn’t make any sense that someone would donate that anonymously or on the sly.”

Howard said it’s possible the woman left the coins on purpose since she’s never come back to claim them.

“I guess there are people that do that but we’ve never come across that,” Howard said.

Sometimes volunteers don’t go through the donated items and just put them out for sale. Falk said he decided to look in the can of nails because it seemed rather heavy.

“It’s pretty lucky that we even found them,” Howard said. “This could have happened before and we wouldn’t have known it.”

Falk said the woman did not want a receipt, which would have helped identify her. Receipts include the donor’s name and address and the nature and value of the donation.

“If we find her, I’d like to be there to return (the coins) to her,” Falk said. “Then we can go home feeling we did something right.”

The store is located on 850 E. Trent. Apart from selling building materials, the store also has an “Eclectic Corner” where customers can find antique fixtures and appliances and vintage furniture, among other things.

“We’ll make enough this year to build six houses just from the store,” Howard said.