Don, Mary, and Ruth are three volunteers that have been at New 2 You since the beginning. To learn a little bit more about their experiences, we asked them to answer a few questions. Here’s what they said:

Could you introduce yourselves?

Don: My name is Don, and I’m one of the day managers. I used to be head of the Men’s Clothing department up until very recently. I grew up in Illinois, where I started working with men’s clothing in 8th grade and then through high school and college. After that, I taught in a high school for 7 years and then became an administrator at Calvin College. The interesting part is that what goes around comes around. It really worked out well for me to come to New 2 You and work back with men’s clothing!

Mary: My name is Mary, and I have four kids—two of which are twins—and they kept me quite busy. When my kids were a little older, I needed something to do, so I became a proofreader. Before volunteering at New 2 You, I volunteered at the gift shop at Blodgett Hospital for 20 years. I worked with their jewelry and clothing, served on their board of directors, and later started purchasing for them. When I came to New 2 You, I worked with women’s clothing and then transitioned to jewelry a few years ago when there was a need.

Ruth: I’m Ruth, and I grew up in Germany. I came to the United States for college at the University of Michigan and then ended up in Grand Rapids because I met a guy from here who soon became my husband. For 20 years, I worked as a human resources manager for several German companies. When my kids were at the Grand Rapids Christian Schools, I went to an informational meeting about a new idea for a thrift store to support families of the school district. I heard that they needed managers, and even though I had never been to a thrift store, I offered to manage. Now I also price the vintage and collectibles.

Don, Mary, and Ruth were at these informational meetings. They recall very few attendees. Don learned about the meeting through an announcement in his church bulletin. Mary and Ruth had both learned about the meeting through school communications.

What was New 2 You like when it first opened?

Don: New 2 You’s building used to be a Gordon Foods. 29th Street wasn’t anywhere near what it is right now in terms of busyness. 

Mary: New 2 You was much less organized. There was no such thing as “stations,” like we have now where certain volunteers work with product types or have designated jobs. We also didn’t have nearly the amount of volunteers that we needed.

Ruth: When we first opened, our hours were 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and I think we were open on Saturdays. It was a big step when we stayed open until 5:00 or 7:00.

What are some of your earliest memories of New 2 You?

Don: In our first year before we officially opened, we had a one-day clothing sale. I think we made a lot of money, but it was chaos!

Mary: Nobody really knew what we were doing at the beginning. We had no idea how to handle the amount of donations we received. At one point in the first few weeks, we had clothes piled up from the floor to the ceiling. I remember us standing there thinking, “How are we going to do this?”

Ruth: Revenue didn’t come as quickly as it does now. The first time that we hit $1,000 in sales, we called each other on our landlines to celebrate—it was a big deal!

The first 5 or 6 years at New 2 You weren’t easy on management or the volunteers. There was always a lot to learn and systems that needed to be refined. The sales floor was challenging to control, and work felt very labor-intensive.

Why did you continue volunteering at New 2 You?

Don: I needed something to do after retiring, and I enjoyed being here. This was the perfect fit for me. The people here are great, and some of the friends that I have now are friends just through being at New 2 You together.

Mary: I just felt like this is where I needed to be. When I was on the New 2 You board, there was a great need for volunteers, and so I wanted to help. The people here are also so great, and it’s special as we evolve over the years.

Ruth: I think what kept us here is the other people. I wasn’t going to let one or two negative experiences make me quit.

When describing how New 2 You has grown, Mary noted that a person that knows New 2 You today would have never been able to walk into New 2 You 20 years ago and recognize it as the same store. 

What has changed? How did New 2 You transform into an upscale shop?

Don: Changes really happened once our current store manager, Karen, came and was able to bring in more volunteers. We were growing in sales numbers, but volunteer numbers were low. Volunteers make all the difference.

Mary: One of the biggest differences is organization. When we first started, we hardly knew what we were doing. So much credit has to be given to Karen with all of her retail experience. She had a vision for the store and made it happen.

Ruth: An inflow of money and good stewardship of it was also a very significant blessing for us. We had the money to pay off our mortgage 15 years earlier than it was due. We also had the money to update our facade and purchase an electronic sign on 29th street. We used to use a poll to change the letters one by one.

Dozens of other things can be attributed to New 2 You’s growth, including generous contributions of more and more donations, volunteers growing in expertise of product areas and operations, strong marketing from the Grand Rapids Christian Schools about us, and kindness from our customers and donors as they tell their friends about us.

While we’re glad to be on the winning team and are so proud of where New 2 You is now, we see our growth as a testament of God’s love for His people that serve Him. Our mission is to forward Christian education in the community, and our successes are evidence that God’s will is being done.