L. Marie’s Thrift Store Celebrates Volunteers

Janet Schultz, owner of L. Marie’s Thrift Shop on 3rd Street in Tecumseh, is very thankful for all the volunteers who help with the work at the shop. One of her newest volunteers is Shelby, a 4th grader at Johnson County Central Schools, who started coming into the shop with her mother about three months ago on Mondays.
“My mom asked if I wanted to and I said, ‘Sure, I’ll do it,” because I like helping people,” said Shelby. “When I get done with the day, it makes me feel proud of the work I did and, sometimes, it makes me feel happy.”
Besides doing the regular tasks like putting items on shelves, Shelby and her mother have been rearranging the store. Shelby’s mother has a lot of ideas and she just helps moves things around, but sometimes Shelby has the idea and her mother is doing the helping, like Shelby’s suggestion to move the CDs to the back so there would be room for other items.
Shelby says it feels good “to get it more organized and make it so people can find the stuff they need to find. It’s fun that I get to help and I get to find stuff [my mom] didn’t find.” Shelby especially likes to find doll clothes. Her mother likes cookbooks and baby clothes.
Shelby thinks other kids would enjoy volunteering as well. “It’s fun. Sometimes you get to see a dog and you might be able to find some cool things.”
Janet appreciates all the help Shelby and her mother give to the non-profit thrift shop. “Whatever you tell [Shelby] to do, she does it and does a good job. Her mom has done a lot to organize the store.”
L. Marie’s, named for Janet’s mother, is open Monday from noon to 5:30 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 3:00 p.m. When she can get more volunteers, Janet plans to open the store earlier on Mondays. All the profits from the store are given back to the community in the form of donations to worthy projects.