RETHINKING THRIFTING: WHEN OLD BECOMES NEW AGAIN

Words by Rebecca Meidinger Photography by Kensie Wallner Photography

It didn’t take long for me to see that Heirlooms Thrift & Gift is a special place. An upscale resale store that first opened its doors in 2003, this delightful boutique carries everything you could want for your home at prices that can’t be beat, for a terrific cause that reaches beyond yourself. Heirlooms is a resale store that supports Hospice of the Red River Valley (HRRV), a local non-profit which provides quality end of life medical care. All proceeds from the store directly support HRRV. As Laura Lesoine, manager of Heirlooms, says, “Hospice isn’t just to help you in dying, but to guide you in living well until the end.”

Having just gone through a rebranding and updating project, the store gives off the allure of new and trendy mixed with the comfort of old and vintage. Designed to have a boutique feel that sets it apart from your typical thrift store, Heirlooms fashionably displays most any home furnishings you could want: sofas, plush chairs, dining tables and chairs, hutches, china cabinets, and china sets galore. Dedicated volunteers spend many hours cleaning and arranging gently used pieces so they are ready to make their next home beautiful. As part of their rebranding project, Heirlooms offered its first Pinterest-inspired Do It Yourself event to help shoppers envision how the old can be transformed into something new. Lesoine said, “The rebrand isn’t to change what wasn’t working, but to keep moving forward, because the store has been so successful. We want to take everything that’s been right, keep going, think outside the box and bring in traffic of new crowds.” The store also carries one-of-a-kind gift products: fun kitchen gadgets, greeting cards for all occasions, candles, gourmet food items and children’s items … unique, thoughtful items that can be the perfect finishing touch to any gift.

With just three paid staff, Heirlooms relies on numerous and talented volunteers to play a major role in their store. In 2014, over

70 volunteers put in a combined total of 5,400 hours in the store – from cleaning, sorting and processing donations, to cashiering and designing the layout of the store. Whatever a volunteer’s gifts and interests might be, the staff accommodate with roles that fit and bring joy. Hospice of the Red River Valley also enjoys the talents of many volunteers, with about 200 highly skilled paid staff throughout the Valley and over 400 volunteers providing companionship visits, haircuts/dos, massage therapy, and much more to patients who are nearing the end of their lives. Whatever your gifts and interests are, there is a place for you at Heirlooms or Hospice.

And of course, in addition to shoppers and volunteers, Heirlooms needs donations to make this all work. The store graciously accepts donations during regular business hours; all donations are tax deductible. Additionally, Heirlooms partners with a local moving business to pick up furniture from donors’ homes free of charge. Simply contact the store if you’d like assistance in donating furniture.

Whatever your taste and whatever your budget, Heirlooms Thrift & Gift invites you to “Come on in and see what we are about!” You’ll be delighted with this store that’s rethinking thrifting, upcycling old and turning it into new, and inviting you to shop for a purpose. [AWM] www.hrrv.org/heirlooms facebook.com/heirloomsfargo

Find Heirlooms on Social Media!

Instagram.com/heirlooms.fargo

Heirlooms Thrift & Gift would like to thank the local businesses that made their recent rebrand possible!

Thank you to:

Scheels

Home Depot

Mathisons

Indigo Signworks