Don't miss our half-price (August 27-28) and $1 a bag (August 29-30)
sales next week!
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The Quarterly
Newsletter of
St. Matthias'
Thrift Shop
715-358-2182
439 E. Front St.
Minocqua, Wisconsin
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Our Mission
Promote goodwill in the community
Provide quality merchandise
Assure affordable prices
Support community outreach activities
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Thrift Shop Hours:
10 - 3
Tuesday - Saturday
(after Labor Day: 11 - 3)
Furniture Annex:
Open Saturdays, 10 - 3
Located on Milwaukee St.
Across from Fire Station
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Volunteer Opportunities
Interested in volunteering at the Thrift Shop?
Contact Jan Degner at:
715-356-3447
or ask at the front desk.
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Mark Your Calendar
August 27-28
Half-price Sale
August 29-30
$1 a Bag Sale
August 31
Free Day! (10-1)
September 1-16
Closed for restocking
September 9
Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
September 17
Reopening with Fall/Winter merchandise
September 28
Beef-A-Rama
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Customer bulletin board
We have a customer bulletin board and invite you to advertise things you want to sell, want to buy, or need.
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Emergency Situations
Our merchandise is free to those in need, whether from fire losses or other disasters. If you are in the shop, let our cashier know and we'll do our best to accommodate your needs. You can also call Jan Degner at 356-3447.
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We accept items in good condition
Please do not give us anything you would not give to a friend. We may refuse items that are not saleable. Call 358-2182 if you have questions on an item.
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All are Welcome
All are welcome at St. Matthias' Episcopal Church. Services are Sundays at 10:00 a.m.
Evensong services are third Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. and are followed by a potluck supper.
Contact the church at:
715-356-6758
Or visit our website at:
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From the Editor
As outgoing Editor of the Thrift Shop Newsletter since its inception in the spring of 2005, I'd like to express my personal appreciation to all of our volunteers and especially, Thrift Shop coordinators Jan and Gene Degner, who have made the St. Matthias' Thrift Shop and Furniture Annex an integral part of the Minocqua community. I have enjoyed sharing the "good news" about our Shop and Annex with the community through our quarterly newsletters. Where else might folks in our community find treasures at bargain prices? Where else might those in need turn for essential household items and clothing in hard times? Where else might people recycle their goods and also know that the proceeds from their donations go to nonprofits in the community? The Thrift Shop and Furniture Annex provide an important outreach service to our North Central Wisconsin community. Customers may continue to find updated information on Thrift Shop Facebook page (facebook.com/stmatthiasthriftshop) and the church website (www.stmatthiasminocqua.org).
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A Brief History of St. Matthias' Thrift Shop
For years a small, yellow brick house, located just south of the church, served as the St. Matthias' thrift shop. In 2005 St. Matthias' decided to build a new church, and the plans required the space occupied by the Thrift Shop. As a result, in August of that year, St. Matthias' purchased the current Thrift Shop building and undertook its renovation. The new shop opened for business Nov. 15, 2005. The idea of selling furniture started with an outdoor sale of furniture items in summer, 2006. The sale was so successful that in the fall the Thrift Shop opened a Furniture Annex in a small rented space near Polecat N' Lace. The new Furniture Annex adjacent to the new Thrift Shop (across from the Fire Station) became a reality when a house on Milwaukee St. came up for sale. That house was torn down and a new building constructed. Initially, the building was used as a storage area, as the Thrift Shop renovated and expanded its "unheated, leaking" warehouse behind the shop to enhance comfort and safety for our volunteer workers and create a larger and more efficient space for storage. Once the warehouse upgrade was completed, furniture was moved to the new Furniture Annex, which opened January 15, 2011.
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We Support Local Charities
St. Matthias' Episcopal Church donates proceeds from the Thrift Shop to area charities. The Thrift Shop governing committee recommends these charities. Interested organizations may pick up donation forms at the cashier's desk.
2013 donations through August were as follows:
$18,000 Donation:
Lakeland Food Pantry
$17,000 Donation:
Northwoods Alliance for Temporary Housing (NATH)
$6,000 Donation:
Lakeland High School Scholarship
Alzheimer's Association
Humane Society of Vilas County
NAMI - National Association of Mentally Ill (local chapter)
Never Forgotten Honor Flight
Oneida County Humane Society
$4,000 Donation:
Northwoods Wildlife Center
Camp American Legion
Camp Jorn
Habitat for Humanity
$2,000 Donations:
Dr. Kate Hospice
Family Resource Connection (Music Garden)
The Fix Is In
Girls on the Run
Ironwood Theatre
Lakeland Sharing Foundation (backpacks)
Lifeline
Literacy Task Force
Minocqua Public Library (patio furniture)
Pastime Club
Relay for Life
Restorative Justice
Tomahawk Interfaith Volunteers
Wild Instincts Rehab Center
$1500 Donation:
Campanile Conservatory of the Arts - Education Assistance
Lac du Flambeau Domestic Abuse Shelter
MTH Foundation
Oneida County Dive Team
Seasons of Hope*
Special Olympics
$500 Donations:
Parkinson's Support Group
* In memory of volunteer Jack LeQuesne
The Thrift Shop also gives turkeys the Lakeland Pantry and provides household goods, books, furniture, and clothing to needy families/non-profits. 10% of the net income of the Thrift Shop supports a variety of community outreach activities of St. Matthias' Episcopal Church; the remaining dollars are used for upkeep, renovations, and community outreach.
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How Thrift Shop Monies Are Used
A number of Thrift Shop patrons ask our volunteers where our money goes. Some patrons assume that most of the proceeds go to the shop's overseer, St. Matthias' Episcopal Church. This is not the case. With the exception of restoration, maintenance and updates on the thrift shop and furniture annex properties, all of the proceeds are funneled back into the community as grants to nonprofit organizations. Looking back at the history of the thrift shop, community "outreach" was not always its major focus. In the 1970s, a small congregation of Episcopalians started a series of rummage sales to raise money to purchase the little stone church off Hwy 51S. They used a small house on Chippewa St. next to the church to open a modest thrift shop. Monies then were used to support the church, though outreach grants to nonprofits was a high priority from the beginning. A change occurred when the church purchased the "new" thrift shop on Front Street. At that time, the church made the decision to use all thrift proceeds for its outreach initiatives. For updates on our "outreach" grants and a more detailed history of the Thrift Shop, visit the church's website (www.stmatthiasminocqua.org) and/or the thrift shop's Facebook page (facebook.com/stmatthiasthriftshop). |
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Giant Shoe Sale
Recently River Valley Bank donated hundreds of pairs of new shoes and boots, still in their boxes. The Thrift Shop held a four-day outdoor sale and the word spread quickly! One customer walked away with 10 pairs! Thanks, River Valley Bank, for your generous donation! Proceeds totaling about $6,500 will go to a worthy cause in our area.
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Tales from the Shop
- A woman from Stevens Point area came into the shop and told a volunteer that the last time she had been in the shop, she bought a nice blouse for $2.50. After she got home and tried on the blouse, she noticed a $6.00 price tag on the blouse. When she came up again to the shop several months later, she made a $3.50 donation for her earlier purchase.
- A gentleman asked a volunteer if he might take as many as four pairs of pants into the dressing room. He said he had lost 258 pounds after by-pass surgery and realizing that he could hardly walk on a treadmill. "That's all it took," he said, and he has been going to the fitness center for 3 years now. He comes in periodically for smaller and smaller size pants.
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"Thank you!" to:
- Adam of VISTA Window Cleaning Co. for providing a monthly cleaning of Thrift Shop and Furniture Annex windows as a charitable contribution.
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How to get rid of computers
The Thrift Shop does not accept used computers and parts. However, you can call Todd from Techs with a Heart Group (715-446-4333). He fixes them and donates them to low income families and people in need.
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