July at Experienced Goods
By Jennie Reichman ~ It seems there is a moment every year when I sit down to write this article and my brain feels like that flat, white sky just before it snows. Cavernous. Echoing. Full of potential but producing nothing. Ironically, it's usually in the summer, when the shop is at its busiest and feels like a well-oiled machine that just hums along without splashy events or dramatic changes. Dear readers, what can I tell you about Experienced Goods that I haven’t already said? I don’t want to bore you, I don’t want to repeat myself, and it's not like the shop isn’t buzzing with activity, it most certainly is. We are in the midst of that delicious first sweep of summer excitement that everyone thrills to as they expand their summer wardrobes and prepare for vacations. Every day brings shoppers from far flung places, in Vermont for weddings or graduations or an adventure in rural New England, discovering Experienced Goods for the first time or returning because they remember the shop from the last time they were in Brattleboro and have made it a must-see destination. And of course our devoted regular local shoppers and donors are the backbone of our business, day in and day out. So we are busy, busy, busy, taking in and sorting donations, keeping the sales floor full and fresh with new merchandise, fluffing, organizing, and creating an exciting shopping environment.
There isn’t a lot that’s new at Experienced Goods at the moment, but there’s a lot to be grateful for. Every week in July, someone on staff at the shop is on vacation, and because each of us has very specific responsibilities that keep things running smoothly, a missing co-worker means everyone else shifts a little to take up the slack and fill their shoes. It's remarkable how the well-being of the shop is everyone’s priority; there isn’t one of us who isn’t willing to take on new tasks when someone is away. I know that when I am gone for a week to visit my friend Rebecca in Nebraska, clothing donations will be sorted, hung, tagged, and priced, and when I return it will be to racks completely transformed by newly processed clothes. I will be glad to be back, and everyone else will be glad they don’t have to do my job anymore, but I will be very thankful for all the extra work they did.
July is celebrations (remember, we are closed on Saturday, July 4!), gardens, cookouts, and hearing live music outside on fine summer evenings. It's hot days and cooling off with swims in cool ponds and rivers. It's beaches and good summer reads and hikes in Vermont’s beautiful woodlands and mountains. July also marks the fourth year Experienced Goods has been at 80 Flat Street, in the CF Church building. The move to this new location completely transformed the shop for staff, volunteers, shoppers, and donors and has been the best transition we have ever made. Making the move involved a tremendous amount of energy and planning; although we all (and many volunteers) worked hard to prepare for and implement the move, the real visionary effort that turned an idea into reality was Gemma’s and Karen’s. Four years on, that vision has created an Experienced Goods that has never been better. Thank you to everyone who keeps us humming as we continue to raise money for Center for Solace!
So ultimately, there is always something to write about, if only to say, “We are doing great, would love to stop and chat, but gotta run! There’s a donation coming in and a line at the register! Cheers!”