Celebrating Volunteerism

The story of Bargains Unlimited in Sister Bay is a story of highly successful volunteerism.

“Rachel and I say that all the time, without the volunteers, we wouldn’t be here. We work for the volunteers,” said Kristine Kordon, who co-manages the resale shop with Rachael Van Valkenburg. They are the only paid employees at Bargains Unlimited.

But it hasn’t always been that way. Having paid store managers is a relatively new thing for the shop. It all began in 1991 as a very part-time volunteer effort of the Scandia Auxiliary to sell used clothing one day a week in a room at Scandia Village, with proceeds going back to Scandia. When Regina Daubner donated an empty shop in Ellison Bay, the auxiliary opened its first resale shop and Bargains Unlimited was born.

“I’ve been there since they started,” said Audrey Grasse, one of the charter members of the volunteer group that got the thrift store going. She is also the mother of Kristine Kordon.

“We rented a couple of places first at Ellison Bay, and then in St. Luke’s. We were just open in the summers,” she said.

In 1995, with the help of a loan from the Good Samaritan Society, owner of Scandia, the volunteers built a store on the Scandia campus.

“Then we could start being open year-round because we had heat,” Audrey said. “And then we started taking in furniture. Then we started making money and more money. Eighteen months later we paid off the loan.”

There have been two additions to the building since then.

Today there are 150 members of the volunteer organization. Volunteers pay an annual $15 fee ($25 for couples) to become members. The money covers social events and insurance coverage while they are working at the store. There is also a lifetime membership of $150. There is no fee for youth volunteers.

“It’s pretty much a regular group, but we’re always looking for more volunteers,” Kristine said.

“That’s an ongoing thing for us, recruiting volunteers,” Rachel said. “One of our hardest positions to fill is strong, young men. We have a truck and we do pickups. That’s probably one of the harder things for us to schedule, year in and year out, able-bodied people.”

Kristine points out that some of the volunteers, like her mother, have put more than 20 years in at the store.

“We have five volunteers in their 90s who are regulars,” she said. “One of them is two times a week. It’s pretty incredible.”

“We do not discriminate,” Rachel added.

The two managers hold an orientation for new volunteers.

“We ask them what they like to do,” Rachel said. “Where we assign them depends on how long they can stay on their feet. Some have an interest in art, china, clothing, shoes. Some say put me wherever you want me. We try very hard to find where they want to be.”

“So they keep coming back,” Kristine added.

National Volunteer Week is April 12-18.