New 2 You

Meet Barb! Barb is one of our fantastic “shoe ladies” who keep our shoe racks full of beautiful, high quality shoes that we all love. Barb started volunteering at New 2 You ten years ago, and we can’t thank her enough for all of her hard work and fun spirit. She was encouraged to begin volunteering when a friend told her about the sense of purpose and community that New 2 You brings. Soon after, she found her niche in the shoe department.

When asked why she believes that customers shop and donate to New 2 You specifically, Barb answered by mentioning how the beautiful merchandising helps create a very positive experience. As someone with a background in retail, she’s very familiar with the importance of merchandising. 

She also highlighted how New 2 You supports the Grand Rapids Christian Schools (GRCS), a local school district. Barb does not have a connection to the GRCS, but she’s a strong supporter of Christian education and is excited by how New 2 You brings millions of dollars to the local school district to support families in the community. “One of the greatest parts about New 2 You is its local aspect,” she explained.

When Barb first came to New 2 You, she was inspired by the optimism and joy that her volunteer friend displayed. Soon after, she felt warmly welcomed by the New 2 You community and by our customers. “I always have fun here,” she added. 

Barb is such a blessing to our New 2 You family. Thank you, Barb!

Meet John and Evelyn! This couple comes in multiple days each week and is particularly known for how they use their unique gifts to serve New 2 You and the Grand Rapids Christian Schools. 

John became involved with the store around 16 years ago when he was asked to fix a bike. He has since been the “go-to handyman” for furniture, electronics, and everything else while doubling as board member and the designer for New 2 You’s renovation projects. John has a background in building design and has been instrumental in New 2 You’s growth. Evelyn regularly cashiers, arranges housewares on the shelves, and is part of the Pack and Pickup Team. Evelyn’s kind character and attention to detail make her an incredibly special volunteer that shines a light of love to the customers that she interacts with on the floor and the families that she meets through Pack and Pickup. In every role that John and Evelyn serve in, they couldn’t have a bigger smile. 

When asked why a person would shop at New 2 You, the couple responded by highlighting the strong quality products that we put out, the clean and inviting atmosphere, and the friendly volunteers that serve each day. “New 2 You isn’t the typical thrift store,” they agreed. John and Evelyn are only two of the dozens of volunteers that use their unique talents to serve, and their diligence is very visible.

We are so thankful for everything that John and Evelyn do while they demonstrate their love for God and the community with big smiles on their faces. Thank you, John and Evelyn!

Meet two of our beloved volunteers, Marilyn and Herb! Volunteering three days each week, this couple is widely loved and recognized by our volunteers and customers. Marilyn has been volunteering since 2004 and does “about a dozen tasks,” such as replenishing racks and shelves with various clothing items. She has an eye for what needs to be done around the store and always does it with a smile. Herb has been joining Marilyn at New 2 You since 2010 and tests and prepares electronics. Behind the scenes, he also prepares financial and analytical reports with data from the cash registers on sales and product departments, making him an essential part of our store operations and planning. 

Marilyn and Herb have found a very special community of volunteers and customers at New 2 You. They love being able to catch up with their friends and serve together. When the couple comes home, they are always excited to share stories from their day at the store with each other. Marilyn also mentioned that one of her favorite parts about volunteering is interacting with customers, being seen as a friendly face to many, and cheering them up on occasion. These interactions are “what keep them young,” Marilyn noted.

When asked what inspires the couple to continue volunteering, Herb answered that he “loves to contribute time and effort that’s necessary to help the Grand Rapids Christian students to help with their tuition payments. That’s really what it’s all about.” Volunteering, they explained, gives them purpose in their retired years. They can confidently say that volunteering has done more for them and their wellbeing than they could ever return to New 2 You as a volunteer. 

We’re so grateful for Marilyn and Herb’s heart of service in everything that they do! Thank you, Marilyn and Herb!

Today is the last day at Grand Rapids Christian High School for Grace and Lily, and we’re so proud of them and can’t wait to see where God takes them in the future. Grace and Lily began working at New 2 You 1.5 and 2 years ago, respectively, both as Winterim students earning money for their school trips.

Grace and Lily most love cashiering, but they also enjoy hanging up clothes, sorting housewares, interacting with customers and volunteers, and learning more about their co-workers each day. Additionally, they both greatly enjoy using their Spanish skills to serve Spanish-speaking customers when they shop.

These girls have very exciting plans for the future! Grace will go to Hope College and study Studio Art with a minor in Spanish and possibly also earn a degree in Psychology or Education. Despite being away for school, she hopes to work at New 2 You over breaks to stay connected with the loving community. Lily plans to go to Calvin University, where she will be studying Biology with a minor in Spanish on the pre-med track. She’s very excited to continue working at New 2 You into her college years. 

Being a student at GRCHS and a staff member at New 2 You has given them such a unique and valuable experience. Lily and Grace cherish the community where loving people of all ages come together and serve. “I’ve found a lot of good things and a lot of good people at New 2 You,” Lily emphasized. Grace has appreciated how working at New 2 You has expanded the Grand Rapids Christian network that she grew up in, noting how fun it is to be a cashier for teachers and friends. “There’s always someone new to talk to,” she commented. 

“I’ve found a lot of good things and a lot of good people at New 2 You,”

These young women have such bright futures ahead, and we couldn’t be more proud of them. Thank you, Grace and Lily, for your consistent kindness and hard work!

Elizabeth is one of our adored volunteers that has been coming in for over 15 years. She volunteers twice each week and is considered our “Jack of all trades” because of her willingness and flexibility to do any task that fits our unique needs of the day. Once those tasks are completed, she enjoys folding the linens and organizing our merchandise to keep the shelves looking orderly and nicely displayed. She can also be frequently found writing all types of cards for our volunteers. Elizabeth loves these opportunities to serve the New 2 You community that she cherishes. 

When asked why a person should shop and donate at New 2 You, Elizabeth responded with the importance of supporting the Grand Rapids Christian Schools. We’re so thankful to be able to contribute to such an important cause. Additionally, she commented, “people love thrift stores no matter what.” This is certainly true, and one aspect that Elizabeth believes sets New 2 You apart from other thrift stores is her Aunt Karen, our general manager. Elizabeth is so proud of her dedication and leadership and is always excited to work with her.

One of Elizabeth’s favorite parts about coming to the store is being able to see her volunteer friends, have coffee with them during breaks, and interact with customers while on the floor. As someone with Down syndrome, she’s very thankful for the inclusive community that can be felt every day. Elizabeth loves people, and she loves the New 2 You community.

We’re so grateful for Elizabeth’s heart of service for both our customers and our volunteers. Thank you, Elizabeth!

Meet Ruth! Ruth is one of our beloved volunteers who has been serving since 2004. She consistently manages volunteers, oversees the clothing operations, sorts and prices incoming housewares, and heads our Vintage and Collectibles department. Ruth grew up in Germany, moved to the United States after she graduated high school, and worked as a Human Resources manager for three different German companies.

Ruth was one of our first New 2 You volunteers and was working even before our doors opened. She never considered herself a thrift shopper, but she was excited about the opportunity to serve the Grand Rapids Christian Schools with her management experience when the opportunity to volunteer arose. At that time almost 20 years ago, Ruth knew almost nothing about vintage items and how to determine their value. However, years of searching the web and watching Antiques Roadshow have proven very helpful. She now loves working in the department and prioritizes honoring donations by selling them at a fair price. “It’s always a puzzle trying to figure out the value,” she commented. She thrives with the challenge and research that the Vintage and Collectibles department requires as the value of vintage items fluctuate while consumer interests change.  

When asked why a person should donate and shop at New 2 You, she responded by emphasizing the value of supporting local families. While many thrift shops have become chains, New 2 You is locally connected to the Grand Rapids Christian Schools. The donations and revenue stay in Grand Rapids. When asked what donations her department and customers get most excited about, vintage furniture and lamps were at the top of her list. Dishes, such as vintage Fiestaware, are also very appreciated, but she noted that these can often be hit-or-miss depending on if they’re able to go in the dishwasher.

Ruth is constantly inspired by the family-like community at New 2 You, and the people are the main reason why she loves to volunteer. “The community, the fellowship, and the friendship are ultimately the reward.” In addition to loving the community, she sees each volunteer and their support to be invaluable for the store. Their dedication does not go unnoticed by Ruth. “It’s a very unique place,” she said as she reflected on the many friendships she’s made over her years volunteering.

We’re so thankful for Ruth, her leadership, her love for volunteers, and the quality work that she brings into everything that she does!

Meet Laura! Laura is our donation supervisor at New 2 You, working almost every afternoon. She’s been a valuable member of our community since 2010 when she began by volunteering and was later asked to step into the donations supervisor role. In the mornings, Laura works at the Grand Rapids Christian Elementary School Iroquois Campus as an academic interventionist. She loves the contrast in working with children in the morning and then coming to New 2 You in the afternoon, where she can serve these children and their families by raising money to help pay for their tuition at the Grand Rapids Christian Schools. 

Laura’s role is to greet everyone who brings in donations, sort housewares as they come in, price items, and keep the donations center moving at a quick pace. Her organization and efficiency are crucial in our operations. Laura is usually the first person to work with donations as they come in before they’re sent off to the different departments to be sorted and priced. Because bringing donations from the donations door to the selling floor is a team effort, she finds joy in organizing the products so that the jobs of the volunteers in each department are a little bit easier. 

As we are so thankful for Laura’s leadership and talents, she is also deeply thankful for the community at New 2 You. She loves the variety of conversations she has with the other volunteers and staff and enjoys watching them build their own community. When a new volunteer comes into work, she’s always surprised to see how quickly they find a home at New 2 You.

When asked why a person should donate to our store, Laura responded that doing so helps to preserve God’s world, we value your donations, and our profits go directly to GRC families to support Christian education. There are many great reasons to donate! Donations we’re in special need of include toys, books, puzzles, clean linens (we appreciate notes with sizes), clean and undamaged cookware and dishes, vintage items, and up-to-date housewares. Even seasonal items are great donations! We store seasonal goods until the holiday at our storage site. 

Laura finds inspiration from Ephesians 6:7, which states, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.” We are so thankful for the work that Laura and all of our other volunteers and staff are doing to serve God and his Kingdom. 

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.”

– Ephesians 6:7

It’s time again to meet one of our wonderful volunteers: Phyllis Zaagman! Phyllis has been volunteering at New 2 You since 2004, and comes in 6 days per week to manage the book section, in addition to working in children’s clothing. We appreciate all that Phyllis does, and look forward to working with her for years to come. Stop in soon for books in fantastic condition!