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news article - Jan, 3, 2011 Nurse opens Bellingham thrift boutique to benefit Whatcom Hospice House MICHELLE NOLAN / THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Maryanne Mills has given "thrift queen" a new meaning in Bellingham.

Mills, 40, is a longtime licensed practical nurse who worked six years with Whatcom Hospice. On Oct. 16, she opened "For the Love of Hospice, a Thrift Boutique" at 1051 N. State St., next to the Pepper Sisters restaurant.

Mills opened the store with the goal of donating a portion of the profits to Whatcom Hospice House, a program of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.
Question: Maryanne, this doesn't seem like your typical thrift store.

Answer: It's a former business office. We offer eight rooms of merchandise, and each room is designated for certain types of merchandise. We find most customers really enjoy spending time in their favorite rooms. Everything we sell comes to us by donation. We even have a fitting room.

Q: Are you having fun?

A: I'm loving every minute. This is fascinating, getting to know people and what they're looking for. I love to shop in thrifts myself, but I would have laughed a few years ago if you had told me I would love running a thrift shop. I love playing "dress up" by putting cute outfits together and making recommendations.

Q: What kinds of donations are especially needed?

A: We need pretty much everything you find in a typical thrift store, but we especially need donations of scarves, men's clothing and neat little knickknacks. Unique decorative items, such as glassware, vases and jewelry, are popular.

Q: Your prices seem cheap, even for a thrift shop.

A: They're designed to be that way. And we make it easy to shop by pricing everything at the same price. For example, everything in the children's clothing room is $1, and all skirts are $5 and sweaters are $3. How about four VHS movies for $1? There's an entertainment bargain.

Q: Are you worried about people finding valuables they can sell on eBay?

A: No (said with a laugh). We just want as many people as possible to find us and help us support Whatcom Hospice.

Q: How do you support the hospice?

A: My goal is to donate enough to pay some of the room-and-board expenses to help people stay at Whatcom Hospice. After paying the bills and my own salary, everything goes to Hospice House.

Q: How's it going?

A: We've received a huge outpouring of love from the community. We have many regular customers already. In the first two weeks in October we made enough to donate $290 and cover someone's stay at Hospice House for a day. Our sales slumped in November (during poor weather), but sales are going great in December.

Q: How did you find such a good location?

A: I was looking for a spot for the store when I drove by and noticed the vacancy sign. It had been vacant about a year. Susan Albert of Pepper Sisters gave me a great rental and graphic designer Jane Burns designed our logo. I definitely felt there was room in our community for another good thrift store.

Q: What's this "tree" on your wall?

A: That's our "forget me not tree," where people can post the names of departed loved ones.

Michelle Nolan is a freelance writer.

TO LEARN MORE

For the Love of Hospice, a Thrift Boutique is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. For details, contact 360-647-6332 or snickerdoodle.girl @yahoo.com.