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The Oxford Family Resource Center (FRC) opened a thrift shop March 11 near Wal-Mart on College Corner Pike and is in need of donations.
Diane Ruther-Vierling, executive director of the center, said the store has plenty of clothing items but is in need of other household items such as coffee makers, blenders, dishes, towels, sheets and blankets. The store cannot accept anything larger than the size of a microwave because of space limitations, Ruther-Vierling said.
The store hosted a "soft opening" March 11, and sees about 15 to 20 shoppers a day. Ruther-Vierling said so far "knick knacks," household items, children's clothing and Easter decorations are the first things to go.
Ruther-Vierling said the thrift store's prices are lower than the Goodwill store in Hamilton, and almost all of the money the thrift store raises goes directly to fund the FRC emergency assistance program. The emergency assistance program helps low income families in the Talawanda area pay for utilities and prescription medicines.
If the store does not receive enough donations to keep up with business, Ruther-Vierling said the FRC will not have as much money to help fund its emergency assistance program. The thrift store was originally established because the number of donations made in 2008 was down by $18,000, and the FRC did not have enough money to cover the increase of families in need.
"Between 2007-08, we saw a 30 percent increase in the number of families who needed help," Ruther-Vierling said.
Miami University junior Tara Pizzola said her Communication 231 class is assisting the FRC with raising donations to help the emergency assistance program.
"We are encouraging students to donate anything that they don't want," Pizzola said.
So far, the class has placed a donation box in several sorority suites on campus in addition to one in its classroom.
Buffalo Wild Wings also has coupons prompting customers to get $1 off their next meal if they donate a $1 to the FRC, Pizzola said.
Pizzola said her class hopes to establish a pick-up day which would allow students to leave any items they don't want outside their houses. The class would then donate these items to the thrift store.
As for the thrift store's future plans, Ruther-Vierling said she is hopeful.
"Eventually we would like to move to a larger place so that we can sell furniture," she said. "We are hoping it will thrive because thrift stores are thriving in this type of economy."
The soft opening will continue until the FRC announces the thrift store's official opening in May.
The FRC thrift store is open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday and Friday.
