Jaimie Schmitz [email protected] Tilden will have a new down town business soon. But it’s a business where no one gets paid. Some residents have been working hard to open a community run thrift shop. Theta Dame is a local pastor and started this idea. “Through visiting with people, I really believed this town needed a thrift store,” Dame said. Dame then found the perfect building for the store. But knowing nothing about business, she reached out to Susan Fields who attended her church. “So I called her up and said so how do we do this and she kinda looked like what are you talking about?” Dame remembered. “And I said the store, its for rent. And then she got excited.” The Tilden community has held a few meetings to discuss what is happening, what will happen, and what needs to happen. Slowly but surely, the New 2 U Community Thrift Store is starting to come together for the thrift shop. “People just cant wait for it to happen,” Fields said. “They just keep saying ‘Are you open yet? Are you open yet?’” Although they are unsure how exactly this will come together, they are just trusting that it will. “And I have no idea how this is going to work,” Dame said confidently. “I am not worried about it.” The trusting attitude is the exact same as Linda Kerkman when she began the process of opening the Bargain Box in Elgin. “You know it’s just wonderful to be able to do that and to know that this is a possibility in any little town,” Kerkman said. The Bargain Box opened in August of 2014. The store made thousands of dollars during the opening weekend alone, and the success has continued since then. “So since that time we have continued to be one of the hot spots in Elgin I think,” she said laughing. “We are right across from the grocery store and next to the bank, what more could you ask for.” Kerkman credits the success to the team of volunteers that help keep the store running smoothly. “In this establishment no one is paid,” Kerkman said. “All of the money goes back out to the charitable, good things.” Kerman said that the Bargain box is a win-win situation for the community. People have a place to bring their unwanted items, there is shopping at reasonable prices, and money goes back into the community and to those who need it. “You know they are putting funds here and there and really hope it works,” Kerkman said. “I just cant wait to talk to them in six months and they go ‘ya.” I mean it just happens, and it just grows.” |
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