Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
CELEBRATING — Threads of Hope, a Catholic Charities of Maine Thrift Store, in Monticello will be celebrating its first-year anniversary on Saturday, with festivities beginning at 9 a.m. The day will also be Customer Appreciation Day, as it will be 50 percent off storewide. If weather permits, there will be a bigger selection of goods outside. Jill Holtham, left, store manager and Debbie Pelkey, manager of northern retail stores, welcome regular patrons and visitors to come to the store.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
MONTICELLO — Threads of Hope, a Catholic Charities of Maine thrift store in Monticello, will be celebrating its first-year anniversary on Saturday, May 24.
The festivities begin when the store opens at 9 a.m. The celebration is also Customer Appreciation Day, as it will be 50 percent off storewide. If weather permits, there will be a bigger selection of goods outside. There will be light refreshments and live music. The store is open weekly 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The store also honors a senior citizen discount for those 65 and older each Wednesday.
The store is managed by Jill Holtham, along with two on-call staff members.
“We have a great crew,” said Debbie Pelkey, manager of northern retail stores. “The girls work hard to keep the store cleaned and organized as they can.”
Pelkey is still looking for volunteers to help in all three of the thrift stores in Monticello, Presque Isle and Caribou.
“We need people who can volunteer a few hours a week,” she said. “We cannot do what we do anywhere without our volunteers, donations and support from communities.”
After the first year of operation, Pelkey has noticed minor obstacles.
“We’ve had a few challenges visibility-wise because of where we are located, ” said a smiling Pelkey. “We’ve put out some signs, just anything, to grab an eye and slow them down coming around the corner.”
The Threads of Hope Thrift Store is hidden heading north by a bend in U.S. Route 1. The thrift store is located on the right-hand side of the road, just before the Blue Moose Restaurant.
“They know the food bank has been here a few years,” said Pelkey. “But, having the thrift store on the other end (of the food bank) sometimes people do not quite realize where the thrift store is.”
Despite the locale, Threads of Hope thrift store is thriving.
“We have seen improvement each month,” said Pelkey. “We are happy with sales, so far, and the community’s support.”
There are no income guidelines to shop at the thrift store.
“The thrift store is open to the general public,” Pelkey explained. “Our sole purpose of running the thrift store is to provide for our food pantries.”
Catholic Charities of Maine operates two food banks in Monticello and Caribou. Those food banks serve 24 food pantries throughout Aroostook County. The thrift store helps keep those food banks operational and also supplies money to buy food.
“The thrift store supplies the pantries with food every single month,” Pelkey explained. “The staff of the food pantries break down the supply to the individual level of families they serve.”
Even though “thrifting” is trending, along with being “green,” people who support the thrift stores (Monticello, Presque Isle and Caribou) are helping others in need, as well as picking good deals for themselves.
The former potato house is large footage-wise, but is used for multiple purposes.
“When you drive by and see all of this building, it is not all store,” Pelkey explained. “We wish it could be, but it can’t.”
On one side of the warehouse is the food bank, while the middle part is the recycling area and the front side houses the thrift store.
“Every day donations are processed,” said Pelkey. “In all three thrift stores, new items are on the floor every single day.”
The Monticello thrift store carries a smaller selection of furniture than the other two northern stores, but Jill Holtham, store manager, can inquire for customers if another store has a particular item they are looking for.
“For here, it is trying to find what everyone is looking for,” said Pelkey. “We lack floor space for larger items. A challenge here does include space issues. But, we try to get a taste of everything the other stores offer.”
Since its opening, Pelkey estimates between 800 and 900 people visit the store monthly.
“We have very faithful customers,” she said. “Anyone who thrifts, usually thrifts all stores. We call it ‘guilt-free’ shopping. You may not need (a certain) item, but it is too good of a deal. We probably have anything someone needs. If we don’t have it, you probably don’t need it.”
Threads of Hope thrift store has both brand new to second-hand kitchen items, small pieces of furniture, curtains, bedding, clothes, knick-knacks, fabric, yarn, lamps, books, music, dishes and collector items all in the store.
“We see new items pass through and for us in processing, opening that box is just like Christmas every day,” Pelkey said, “because we never know what is inside that box. We get lots of things that are new. We see that a lot with clothes, as the tags are still on, to decorations, hardware and paints.”
If there is a defect in a product or a company changes brands, those items are donated to places like Threads of Hope.
The Monticello thrift store accepts donations of items in usable condition when the store is open.
“We have no real strict or stringent guidelines,” Pelkey said, “But, the items must be usable, clean without stains and in working condition.”
Please do not drop off items when the store is closed. If you want to check and see if someone is at the store, call 538-4051.
“We are happy to be here,” said Pelkey. “People are surprised once they get here to see what we have.”
