Providing help and creating hope in Maine
Portland, ME – The Threads of Hope Thrift Stores are like many thrift stores, selling gently-used clothing, accessories, furniture and home goods, but because it’s a program of Catholic Charities Maine the store was looking to give a bit more back to its customers than a retail transaction.
Enter the mini “cards of hope” that have been placed in baskets at the check-outs at the Portland and Sanford locations. The mini pocket-sized cards contain inspirational quotes and simple feel-good messages on an artful background making them a quick collector’s item among the regular shoppers.
“Our customers just love them,” says Portland Store Manager Amanda Fisher. “They ask if they can take one for a friend or I see them digging through the basket to find a new message.”
From the senior citizens who come for the socializing as much as the shopping, to the college students looking to score vintage threads, to the DIY’ers and those savvy shoppers just looking for a bargain the cards have been a big hit across the board.
The cards offer a different kind of retail therapy, quite simply a message of hope during these uncertain times, and as the Sanford store manager Mary Lou Bowie notes “can’t we all use a little brightening in our day!”
So whether you make a purchase or not, you can take home “hope” for free from any Threads of Hope thrift store.
© 2024 Catholic Charities Maine
