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Community Corner

Laurel House to Open Thrift Store in Hatfield

The thrift store, aptly named "Laurel's Loft," will open its doors in mid-March

Hatfield is about to get a little more thrifty.

Laurel House, a non-profit agency that provides shelter and services to victims of domestic abuse, is planning to open a new thrift store in the Pennwood Plaza shopping center at 1801 North Broad street by mid-March.

Its name: Laurel's Loft, chosen as the winning name submitted in a contest by Michele Graham and Debbie Ebert.

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Like its sister store Marian's Attic in King of Prussia, Laurel's Loft will feature a wide variety of clothing, jewelry and accessories, with all proceeds going to help the agency in its battle to protect victims and end domestic abuse.

"[The thrift stores] are a great source of unrestricted revenue, especially in a time when human services are needing funding," said Beth Sturman, executive director of Laurel House.

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Sturman said that the plan is to have a full volunteer workforce, and that she hoped to find some willing participants within the community.

"We will be looking for volunteers to take routine shifts, like one or two shifts a month," said Sturman.  "We certainly could use weekly volunteers, but we understand that not everyone is able to do that."

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Montgomery County will also provide additional help.

"The RSVP did an amazing job of helping us with the business plan as well as helping us secure a site," said Sturman.  "They'll be providing some of the volunteers as well."

For those good Samaritans who wish to drop off their donations, an announcement regarding the drop-off days will be made through the agency's                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          website and Facebook page over the coming weeks.

"We will be announcing some drop off days prior to opening, either at the end of February or early March," said Sturman, who also cautioned eager donors to not drop off any items prior to the scheduled.

In addition to providing low-priced goods, the thrift stores also serve the men, women and children who no longer have a safe home and need help getting back on their feet. 

Sturman said that in the event the agency takes in a two-year-old child, they can contact the thrift stores to immediately find appropriate clothing.

"As we run low of supply, the shelter manager can call the shop manager and specify a size and style of clothing," said Sturman.  "It's a way that we can keep the people we serve well supplied with a nice variety of things."

Pennwood Plaza is the location of businesses like , and .

For more information on Laurel House, as well as volunteer opportunities, you can visit them on Facebook here or at their website, http://laurel-house.org/

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