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The HUB
Celebrating 15 Years of Service to
Friends of Hospice
Rebecca Reid, Board Member and Volunteer
In 2008, a passionate group of medical professionals, retired nurses, and friends, connected by their commitment to hospice care, began meeting informally to discuss the need for greater awareness of end-of-life planning and hospice care in the Rogue Valley. Their shared dream was to establish a residential home offering compassionate, high-quality care for those at the end of life. Through casual conversations in coffee shops, grocery stores, workplaces, and churches, the idea of a community-supported hospice service began to take shape. The group quickly realized that to turn their vision into reality, they needed a consistent source of funding—and thus the idea of a resale shop was born.
To gauge community interest, they organized a two-day parking lot sale in downtown Ashland during July 2008. The event raised $5,000, giving the group confidence that a resale shop could potentially fund their immediate goal of supporting hospice services in the region. The long-term dream of creating a residential hospice home also seemed more achievable. By 2009, the group had formalized its efforts, developing by-laws, forming a Board of Directors, and earning nonprofit status under the name Southern Oregon Fundraising Alliance, later renamed Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice.
With a feasibility study by OHSU nursing students and the acquisition of a location in the former Miller Paint Company building on Ashland Street, The Hospice Unique Boutique (now known as The HUB) opened in June 2009. The board envisioned more than just a thrift store; they sought to create a boutique offering high-quality clothing, furniture, home décor, jewelry, and art. With a single employee managing more than 20 dedicated volunteers, The HUB faced initial challenges, including meeting budget goals of $250 in average daily sales. However, thanks to generous donations and the hard work of volunteers, by the end of the first year, average daily sales had grown to $350.
Over the next eight years, The HUB flourished, enabling Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice to award $90,000 to regional hospice organizations. Despite these successes, the organization never lost sight of its ultimate goal: building an end-of-life care residence in the Rogue Valley. In 2012, an executive director was hired to lead a capital campaign, which culminated in the 2016 purchase, remodel, and expansion of the historic Holmes Park House in Medford. The HUB contributed financially to this effort, and its volunteers fully furnished the twelve-bedroom mansion with items from the shop.
In May 2018, the dream became a reality with the opening of Celia’s House, named after a generous donation from the Meese Foundation. Since then, Celia’s House has provided care to over 620 residents, fulfilling the founders' vision of a residential hospice home.
Today, with the help of over 50 volunteers working more than 5,600 hours annually, The HUB is a thriving nonprofit, with average daily sales reaching $1,600 in 2024. It has upgraded its physical space, completed an expansion with the Annex, and hosts popular events like the holiday Candlelight sale, The Art Sale, and “Sip ‘n Shop” fashion shows. The shop continues to play a critical role in supporting Southern Oregon Friends of Hospice and Celia’s House, contributing 15% of its revenues to the organization’s mission in 2023.
What began as a small group of passionate individuals in 2008 has grown into a vital nonprofit model for end-of-life care in Oregon, thanks to the unwavering support of volunteers, donors, and the community.
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