Downtown thrift store to close by the end of February

B y G race M c c arthy

Downtown Blaine thrift store

Mulder’s Fundraiser Charity Boutique is closing at the end of the month.

Mulder’s Fundraiser Charity

Boutique owner Deanna Mulder said the store, formerly Wildbird Charity Boutique, will close for business by the end of February. The building is not yet sold.

“I want to do different things,” she said. “We’ve had so many great donors and amazing people who have kept us going and patrons. But it’s been difficult.”

In 2018, the boutique opened in the former Rustic Fork building before moving to its current location at 674 Peace Portal Drive. The boutique was the brainchild of Deanna’s late husband, Mike Mulder, who dreamt of a thrift store whose profits would support local charity.

The boutique sells donated clothing, home decor, bedding, accessories, toys and other items. From a dad wanting a coat before a Blaine High School football game to a woman needing essentials to start over after a bad relationship, the boutique has provided a service in the community being the only clothing store in Blaine, said Karen Trudel, a Rockwood Realty broker selling the building.

Last March, the boutique changed its name to Mulder’s Fundraiser Thrift Boutique when Deanna decided she wanted to part from working under a board of directors. Deanna said she pays employees, rent and other expenses and then has given the rest of the store’s revenue to local charities, including Wildbird Charity’s backpack program.

Mike co-founded the Wildbird Charity nonprofit to feed Whatcom County children.

Problems with the city of Blaine over plumbing issues and slow sales during the U.S./Canada border closure were part of the reason Deanna said she decided to close. Ideally, she’d like someone to purchase the building who would run the thrift store.

“The right person, or people, could really do something great here, even if you did consignment and participated in charity of some kind,” she said. “I would love to keep it going.”

After the boutique closes, Deanna said she would like to continue working for nonprofits in the area such as the backpack program and The Bridge Community Hope Center in Birch Bay. Mulder’s Fundraiser Charity Boutique is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.