too. He was and is a rabbi for an organization called Aish HaTorah, and we just celebrated 25 years in Cleveland. am a connector by nature, so peo- ple who needed things and others who were getting rid of things have always crossed my path. Call it serendipity, "Bashert", G-d or luck, but folks that want stuff and men- tion it to me are often surprised when the very things they need show up on my doorstep. leather coat, long skirts, red hats, shampoo samples, kids' books, snow pants, leftover art supplies, hard-to-find suits and shoes, and the list goes on. extras and the needy neighbors who had nothing all came and went in and out of our apartment. When we moved back to Cleve- land, I continued sending things to Israel, until the luggage allowances changed, the economy got bad, and my friends here in Cleveland were comfortable telling me what director for NCSY, an organization that connects Jewish teens, and the kids got involved with the clothing too. Slowly, our home was getting buried in hundreds of bags of do- nations, and families would "shop" in our back porch, which oozed into the living room and eventually into the yard. We got a permit for a double shed in the back yard, but there were too many donations to continue operating from home. by a businessman who had been studying with my husband, and Take2 resale was born. South Euclid, has been a real labor of love. I learned quickly that switching from pure gifts and good deeds, to charging $1-$5 per item and trying to cover rent, was not an easy task. The first week, we received over 4,000 pounds of clothing and housewares, which took over 16 man-hours to sort. The volunteers cancelled frequent- ly and I needed to hire a manager and some staff because I could not do it all alone. but need loads of help with social media. I am learning as I go, and my fellow thrift-and-resale-shop owners in the area have been wonderful! outs of disinfecting the plush items to satisfy government require- ments. Annette, from LaSheek Resale on Mayfield Road, helped me learn to keep my daily sales records. Jerry Akrish, the dad of past NCSYers with whom I worked, became my cash register teacher; and Ari Galperin, a past NCSYer, my credit card educator. student, painted the store. It was a joint effort to get us ready for opening day. Cleveland Job Corps and they sent us volunteers, and other govern- ment agencies helped as well. tomers (and the fire marshal) like clear aisles, and the piles in the bins must get sorted quickly so there is room for more donations. (thousands have resettled here in the Cleveland area) and elderly Russians from the local assisted-liv- ing homes; hair dressers from Cen- tral Africa, and lots of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. volunteer opportunities so that they could qualify for the national honor society in middle school, and these families spent Saturdays taping flyers to local screen doors. get clothing and household items that are within their budgets. That makes it tricky to meet our expens- es. Once expenses are covered, proceeds will be used for educa- tional trips to Israel. behind Mika's Wig Salon, at 2199 South Green Road. This is a more upscale store. matches between donors and customers. We have a wish list that is a mile long. Stop in and meet our amazing manager, Eric, and our other sorters and volunteers. sale store she recently opened at 4141 Mayfield Road. |