Post-Irene Newsletter
Post date: Apr 27, 2012 8:04:23 PM
October 23, 2011
Dear Nifty Thrifty Volunteers,
We have a NEW HOME!! Up until Thursday October 20th we had few possibilities and no good prospects. Then suddenly everything came together and on October 22nd we moved into the Ayrshire Building on the ground floor on the end closest to Rite Aid. An eye doctor had his office there.
As you can see our move was rather sudden and we are still figuring out who, when, how, why, … all we have now is where.
There have been all kinds of questions and rumors floating around about our thrift shop, so here is what we know.
1) Although the Briggs Building sustained substantial damage during Tropical Storm Irene, our little shop made it through the flood practically unscathed. A little silt on the floor over near the Dressing Room, but otherwise untouched.
2) The owners of the Briggs Building (with encouragement from Vermont Historic Preservation) have decided to restore the building, and they have said they hope that we will continue to be their tenants after the reconstruction.
3) We have enough money in the bank to cover our financial obligations (nine $1000 checks to OV grads) for this year, but we have taken a big blow to our 2012 A.I.M. We have lost two months of sales. Maybe the new location will be a tonic ----
4) We plan to open on Nov. 1st and start our Craft Sale November 7th.
5) Before Oct. 20th we had cleared almost all of our inventory out of the shop. We wanted to be prepared for the possibility that we would not be allowed into the building at some point during the reconstruction. And we didn’t want to have to clean out vermin-infested merchandise when we prepared to reopen our shop after reconstruction. The best stuff in the shop was boxed and stored in our basements and back bedrooms. The good stuff went to H.O.P.E. in Middlebury for them to sell. The not-so-great stuff went to Planet Aid. Leaf People-worthy stuff went to Sally Wood’s garage, and now clothe stick figures all over the county.
6) We are considering new hours at our new location
7) We are looking at the possibility of a new floor plan for the first floor of the Briggs Building when it is finally resurrected. There is free architectural assistance available for businesses affected by Irene, and Safer Society says they are open to all ideas.
But we are still just swinging by the seat of our pants. We don’t know when we will be able to return to the Briggs Building for business as usual. We don’t know what problems, opportunities, glitches, prospects, hurdles or lucky breaks may arise in a month, a week or even tomorrow.