The Dawn Center's Second Glance store opens today. Victims select merchandise, and the remainder is sold to the public.
By BETH N. GRAY
Published May 3, 2004
BROOKSVILLE - At first glance, the attractive displays of women's wear and home furnishings suggest an upscale department store behind the plate glass windows of a corner unit at Brook Plaza, 650 Broad St.
A closer look reveals the store's name spelled out on artful acrylic squares: Second Glance.
Opening at 10 a.m. today, the thrift shop is a new undertaking by the Dawn Center, the local agency serving victims of domestic violence.
"The bottom line is that Hernando County is so generous to us," said the center's executive director, Stephanie Walley. "We've always accepted donations for women, so much so that we sometimes got inundated with donations that we couldn't use."
The shop will take the overflow and generate income for victims and agency programs at the same time. And rather than rummaging through garbage bags of donated goods, the women will now be able to browse through racks of clothing arranged by size and with an eye to color coordination; they will be able to select toys and books for their children and tag furniture if they are moving to an alternative residence.
"Women clients will be able to have the first pick of all things," Walley said. "It will be so much more glorious for them. They'll have choices now."
And not everything is secondhand, Walley said. A lot of stores are donating leftovers after sales.
"So, we have a lot of brand new items, ladies' designer business suits and accessories," she said. "There's a lot of phenomenal furniture - some of it is antique - a beautiful sofa and love seats that look as if they've not been sat on at all."
A handsome patio set - glass-top table with four matching chairs - also occupies a spot in the front windows.
Center staffers and volunteers have been at work for about two months, refurbishing the 5,000-square-foot space that used to be an auto parts store.
"Cleaning, laying carpet, painting," said store manager Damaris Gonzalez, her expression betraying the effort it took volunteers to paint the high-ceiling space. Volunteers continued to sort, hang and fold clothing in the days leading up the store's opening.
During a tour of the store, Gonzalez showed off the delineated areas for wearables and accessories, household furnishings and a children's corner with toys, games and books for sale, but also where kids can play while adults shop. A centrally located cashier's stage will enable staffers to watch over the youngsters and keep an eye on potential shoplifters.
Mirrored fitting rooms were being finished last week while more display stations were being assembled. Gonzalez will have an office, but the store manager said she prefers to be out on the floor in the center of activity.
Gonzalez worked a year as a victim's advocate at the Dawn Center. Walley said she is a perfect fit for her new assignment because she's dynamic and bilingual. Many of the center's clients speak Spanish, and Gonzalez will be able to communicate with them about making wise choices.
Initial profits from the thrift shop will be earmarked for hiring a full-time legal advocate for domestic violence victims, Walley said. Advocacy is currently provided by trained volunteers.
Beyond that, additional income will help pay for the center's shelter expansion to 40 beds by the end of October.
"We do need that many," Walley said. "We are definitely running at full capacity with 24 beds."
The center, with an annual operating budget of $717,000, is working from a $177,000 allocation from the governor's office and some $20,000 earmarked by the Hernando County Commission. A grant request of $242,000 from a federal government program, Capital Improvements Money to Domestic Violence, is pending, Walley said.
Although the center employs 18 paid staffers, it still depends on volunteer help. Five volunteers trained in confidentiality issues, also assist at the center. The thrift store is seeking more.
"We're looking for retirees who would help with half a day, a day," Walley said.
Store hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Potential shoppers already have been knocking on its door, saying, "I want to come in and buy that."
"Please come back," Gonzalez tells them. "And tell your friends and neighbors."
For additional information on the Dawn Center and the Second Glance thrift store, call 686-8759.
