Kaine Homes

New Hospice shop is a delight for fashionistas, moms

Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009
By Pat Ullberg
Southern Maryland News
Prince Frederick Recorder

Sometimes, a good bargain — like a good man — is hard to find.

Anyone entering the work force for the first time, such as young graduates starting their first professional jobs, or former stay-at-home moms getting back into a job, often find that the up-front expense of assembling a professional work wardrobe can wipe out the first month’s salary — and more.

Your fearless columnist remembers when re-entry into the work world after several years at home raising children found that dressing for success became an issue. My wardrobe — if you can call it that—consisted mostly of jeans of various vintage, faded tees, sweat pants and a sprinkling of slightly outmoded dress clothes. How to get together enough decent quality clothes to make up a work wardrobe without wreaking havoc on the family bank account in the process was something of a challenge.

A new thrift shop that opened in Huntingtown on July 23 may be the answer to upgrading a business wardrobe without breaking the bank or maxing out credit cards.
Shoppe for Hospice is designed as a boutique, with a collection of recent, nearly-new styles from the likes of Coldwater Creek, the Gap and Nordstrom’s. This shop can be a boon for working women with small clothing budgets. The fashion magazines typically advise building a professional wardrobe one piece at a time, as you can afford each new piece, which for a new job entrant, could take quite a while. At Hospice boutique, even a tightly budgeted clothing dollar can cover the costs of several complete outfits in one or two visits.

A visit to the shop during last Saturday’s grand opening revealed a large, white painted room lined with clothing racks filled with women’s suits, tops, tees, sweaters and coats. There is a small table of jeans and sportswear, and a rack of special occasion and formal wear, but the main emphasis is on wearable daily clothing.

The racks along one wall hold children’s clothing in sizes from infant through pre-teen girls. Childrens’ wear, with labels like Carters, Healthtex and Old Navy, is the second retail focus of this shop, because children’s clothing is another big expense given that children can outgrow an entire wardrobe in months. Back-to-school shopping has been brisk since the shop opened, say the volunteers. A quick pass through the racks shows many classic current fashions in sportswear and dresswear.

The primary mission of Shoppe for Hospice, as the name implies, is to raise funds for Calvert Hospice, specifically Hospice’s Calvert-Burnett House, now under construction on Sixes Road in Prince Frederick. Hospice House will offer live-in, fulltime care to residents of Calvert County who have a terminal illness, and for whom care at home is not an option. The construction of the hospice house is being done entirely with generous donations of materials, labor and the volunteer time of many businesses and individuals. Shoppe for Hospice is intended to provide funds for the ongoing costs of staffing, furniture and the equipment necessary for a facility that serves terminally ill patients.

There are many thrift shops in the Southern Maryland area, and most have definite missions to support the many charities in the tri-state region. In the economic slump the country is now experiencing, charities are doing their best to meet greater and greater needs. As each charity addresses different needs, so do many thrift shops specialize in merchandise that appeals to special customer bases; — for instance, some shops are known for having a good selection of household goods and decorative articles.

The hospice shop in Huntingtown is the result of the generosity and creativity of the whole community. Brooke and Ann Kaine, owners of Kaine Homes, donated the shop space in their business center. It’s one large room with high ceilings and good light, more inviting than the donated makeshift spaces some thrift shops must inhabit. That fit in well with the planners’concept of the shop.

“We wanted to try for something a little different from most thrift shops, to have something more like a boutique where women could find good quality, gently used clothing for themselves and their children at a good price,” Ann Kaine said.
Kaine and other volunteers canvassed local suppliers for the materials, equipment and for labor: carpentry, plumbing and a shop sign.

“Everyone [we asked] did something, contributed a different piece,” Kaine said. “This was a real community effort. The energy output was terrific. Every time I wanted it to work so badly, and didn’t know where we’d find the wherewithal, somebody came forward with what we needed. For example, the shop needed mirrors for the dressing room, there was no budget to buy them, and nobody knew where to get them donated. I went to Royal Glass one day to have a window replaced in my car, and noticed they also sold mirrors. I asked the owners to donate the mirrors — and they did.”

That was typical of the response Kaine and other volunteers got to their canvassing efforts. A list of the donors is too long to include here, but is available at the shop.
The clothing donations also have been coming in at a fast rate, volunteer Cristel Libiot, the Hospice event coordinator, said.

“We’re getting a very good response. And anything we can’t use won’t go to waste. We pass it on to other sources for sale or distribution.”

Libiot and Kim Zabiegalski, the volunteer shop manager, were at the sales counter the afternoon of the grand opening event. Kaine had just come in with a bouquet of sunflowers, and was looking for the best place to display them. The volunteers are serious about making the shop an attractive place to browse and buy — which it is.
“And we’ve got plenty of free parking here.”

The great merit of thrift shops is that the customers save money on purchases, and — at the same time — these purchases help the thrift shops raise money for local charities, a real double bang-for-the-buck, since those dollars are, in effect, doubled, and stay in the community.

In addition, most if not all of these thrift shops are operated by volunteers, which means that all of the sales proceeds go to a charity, and not to salaries or overhead costs. It’s a win-win situation all around.

Shoppe for Hospice is located in the Kaine Industrial Park, just north of the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department on Old Town Road. The shop is open every Thursday, noon to 7 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Donations are accepted only on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, because volunteers need time to sort size, price and hang the clothing.

There are also volunteer opportunities available. For further information, or to inquire about hours, donating or volunteering, call 410-535-0892 or 301-855-1226, or e-mail Cristel Libiot at clibiot@calverthospice.org.

Time to Start "Shoppe-ing"

Lynn Bonde, Director, Calvert Hospice and Maryland State Delegate Sue Kullen

Calvert County Commissioner President Wilson Parran and Calvert County Register of Wills, Margaret Phipps

Mallory Kaine, Christine Blake of Calvert Hospice and Erika Kaine