I fond farewell from your Store Manager

Folks,
Which much saddness at leaving all the wonderful people I have met over the last 4 1/2 years, I must tell you I'm leaving GSA. I have taken a position doing the same thing with an organization in Florida. It has been a wild ride and I thank each and every one of you that have shopped with GSA and supported it's mission of helping the homeless in Loudoun County.
I will be in Sterling until 31st and then it's off to sunny and warm Florida.
Sincerely
Mary Fittro

Black Friday Sale

Black Friday -Nov 28 2008. will feature 50% off the entire store. We open at 11am.
Shop early for the best value. We replenish stock all day long. We have a ton of Christmas merchandise out for sale right now. We also have a good selection of winter coats plus a lot of jewelry still left from the Antique sale. You won't want to miss this sale. It will not be repeated this year.
FYI - we are staying in Sterling. Ashburn is up and running and sale is going on in their store as well.
See you Friday
MAry

Fact or Fiction – you have to be poor to shop in a thrift store?

This is pure fiction. A common misconception is that you have to be poor to shop at thrift stores. This can’t be further from the truth. Now days alot of folks are finding the value of thrift stores. On any given day in my parking lot you find an assortment of high end vehicles. I’m talking Mercedes, Caddie’s, Lexus. How do you think people these afford to drive these nice cars.? They shop smart, and shopping at thrift stores for basic clothing needs is smart shopping. The Good Shepherd Alliance now operates 2 thrift stores in Loudoun County. The older store in Sterling is in the Regal Center Plaza. And our newest store, is now open in Ashburn near the Ashburn Fire Department on Ashburn Road. Both stores feature an eclectic mix of merchandise. While Ashburn’s store is small and features only the best of clothing choices. The Sterling store is bigger and features almost 7000 pcs of clothing on the racks at any given time. Shirts sell for $4 and pants for $6. Add $5 for a pair of shoes and you have a complete outfit for $15. Try doing that in the mall or at Walmart for that matter.
With the state of our present economy, people are looking for the best value for their dollar. There are fewer dollars to go around so one must make each dollar stretch as far as you can.
So to answer the question? No! anyone with money can shop in our thrift stores. Plus we offer vouchers for those that don’t have money, they just need to get a referral from any social services office, church or school.
Two good reasons to shop at our thrift stores. Number one your helping the homeless here in this county. Number two - by shopping the thrift stores your helping to save the planet by recycling.
Think about it, every body wins. We get money to help the homeless, you get to save money and we all help to save the planet.

So before you go out to the mall and your local discount retailer. Check your local thrift store. You will be doing your wallet and the planet a favor.

More info on Antique and Collectible Sale

This sale is being held in Sterling at The Good Shepherd Alliance Thrift Store located at 20921 Davenport Drive Suite 113, Sterling, Va 20165.
Here's a small sampling of things I remember
wedgwood
football cards, basketball cards,baseball cards
collectible toy action figures
Dept 56 Christmas village
jewelry - nice costume pieces as well as fine jewelry
vintage ladies hats
old glass christmas ornaments
old sheet music
vintage toys
Wizard Magazines
Little Golden Books
Old figurines including glass and ceramic
couple of sets of old silverware - nice condition


This is just a sample of stuff we have. There is something for every collector
We are still collecting stuff for this sale.

Sale is Saturday November 22 2008. Doors open at 11am - In fairness to everyone,there will not be any early previews of any of the items.


Remember proceeds go towards our homeless shelter programs.

Need additional info call thrift store 703-444-5956 or 703-887-7397 -But don't call about individual items please.

Antique and Collectible Sale - Not an Auction this year

2nd Annual Antique And Collectibles Sale

This year’s sale is being held in Sterling at the Thrift Store located at 20921 Davenport Drive Suite 113,
Sterling VA 20165. Located in the Regal Center Plaza on Rt 7 in front of the movie theaters.
Date: 11/22/2008 Saturday
Time: 11am—7pm
Comic books, books, pictures, jewelry, glassware,
antique toys, vintage hats and much more.

Why wait until Black Friday to do your Christmas shopping, when you can shop with us and help the homeless.
Contact person: 703-444-5956 or 703-887-7397
Mary Fittro

Christmas has come to The Good Shepherd Thrift Store in Sterling

Folks,
with money so tight these days. The best way to save money on Christmas is to buy secondhand. I've spent the last 3 days hauling holiday goods out of storage and I'm still not done. If you haven't visited the store in a while and love Christmas then you need to stop and see us. Our Christmas section is expanding to accomodate all the holiday I have stored away. Yesterday we put 10 bins full of Holiday goods on the floor.
Thrift Stores are a great way of saving money on gifts too. We still have a selection of Little Black Dress Jewelry. These are great Christmas gifts for the your special someone.
FYI - Make sure to test everything electrical before you leave. I don't have the time to stop and check everything. With the mountain of merchandise I have it's faster if I don't stop and check.
Mary

Little Black Dress Jewelry

Folks,
I just rec'd a ton of Little Black Dress jewelry line. These are beautiful pieces. All are brand new. This is just a small sampling of the pieces we have. But now is the time to shop for Christmas.
Mary

Sale Prices on almost all clothes

Folks,
Sale going on now on almost all clothes. You've got to stop and see. We're in the process of expanding the selection and putting new clothes out daily. Where else can you get a designer shirt for $4. Hurry now these clothes sell fast.
MAry

YES, the Thrift Store has phones once again.

Folks,
If anyone has tried calling the store in Sterling, you know you couldn't get through. Well, finally the Folks at Verizon decided they did own the line and where able to fix it properly this time. It's a long drawn out story involving our Director of Operations spending many, many hours on the phone with Verizon. But for right now they seem to be working. Keep your fingers crossed. Now I need all your prayers that they are truly fixed.
Mary

Well I spoke to soon. The Sterling store is open BUT the phones are not currently working

Folks,
The phones in Sterling are still messed up. We are still open and are taking donations. We're working to resolve this issue with VERIZON (do I need to say more). We can call out but it's hit or miss if you can call us. Right now some landline phones are geting through but that's not a guarentee. Just bear with us.
Check the website for donation hours which are Mon- Sat 11am to 6pm. The website gives you a donation guide are well. www. loudounhomeless.org.
thanks for sticking by us.
Mary

Thrift Store got a shipment of brand new sportswear.

Folks, you gotta see these clothing items to believe it. They are really nice and we have a large variety of colors. The dresses are selling for $10. All the Other pieces are selling for $5 each. If you want more of this type of clothing you can see a larger variety at our Ashburn location - Hope's Treasures.

the camera does not capture how nice these pieces are. Stop by before they are all gone.

Mary

Thrift Store Still has some phone issues

Sorry ,Folks our good friends over at Verizon are continuing to work on getting our phones coming into the thrift store back in working order. Seems the problem is cell phones. So if you need to reach the thrift store, call using a landline phone. Cell phones will not go thru. Who knew it was possible to set up a line and not let cell phones go thru. Well it is and has been happening for almost a week now. But calls coming from a regular phone attached to a phone line are coming in just fine.
We are still there and have no plans to move until the 1st of the year (if then). We take donations 11 to 6 Mon-Sat. We are not open on Sunday and would appreciate it if you did not "leave donations" on that date. They never reach us. They get stolen or damaged by the elements. Anything that gets wet has to be thrown out.
Mary

Thrift Store looking for help

Folks, the thrift store in Sterling is in need of some help. We are looking to hire. See a cashier at the front for an application. Be aware in order for me to even consider your application you must fill out the release form to allow us to do a preliminarybackground check. A fingerprint background check will also be required if hired.
Mary Fittro
Store Manager

Sterling Phones are working again 703-444-5956

Folks,
We straighten out the mess with the phones and the Sterling Thrift Store Phones are working once again. So dial 703-444-5956 if you need help. The phones might go to a fax tone if someone is on the regular line. If that happens wait about 10 min and try again.
Store hours 11-7 mon-sat
donation hours 11-6 mon-sat
Mary

Yes the store is still open - We've had issues with phones

Folks,
If you've tried calling our main store number it's either rung busy or rang into Ashburn. Of course neither Verizon or Cavelier want to fess up to who screwed up. Altough I got to credit them both with expediting my service request to put the line back. IN the meantime if you really need to reach the thrift store you can call 703-433-2641. But this line is used for other purposes and cannot me tied up for long periods of time. So don't think we're being rude when we try to end the call as quickly as possible. We just need to run a credit card transaction through or need to receive a fax.
Thanks for all you understanding and patience.
Store hours remain the same
Monday thru Sat 11- 7
with donation hours 11-6 each day we're open
We are a faith based organization so we are not open on Sunday.
Mary

Sterling is still open and will remain open until end of the year.

Folks,
I know the news articles all talk about us shutting this store down and going to Ashburn that WILL NOT HAPPEN until the end of the year.So you can continue to shop and drop your donations in Sterling until the end of this year.
Mary

Good News for Sterling

Folks, looks like we're going to be able to keep the store in Sterling until the end of this year. If sales go up like they have been we might be able to stay beyond that. But for right now we are scheduled to be open until DEC 2008. So keep shopping and dropping off the donations.

BTW- Here's a shot of the new facility in Ashburn where Hope's Treasures (our other store will have it's permanent home). Hope's Treasures is now open in Ashburn temporarily in the shopping plaza right next door. As soon as the last piece of the puzzle is in place we'll be moving HT into it's permanent location. Did I confuse you?
Anyhow thanks to all the folks in sterling who have stepped up and purchased from us, this has helped us stay in Sterling.
Mary

Sale of the day

I've pulled out the crystal ball and foresee a luggage sale. So for all those traveling now is the time to pick up your extra pieces of luggage.
Pricing to be determined but it will be at least half off all luggage and tote bags. Sale will not include purses or handbags.
Mary

Yard Sale Season

Is spending all you time going from yard sale to yard sale draining your energy and your wallet. Then your first stop should be our stores. You know about the big one in Countryside(Regal Center Plaza) but did you know about the one in Ashburn. We have a temporary store set up in the 7-11 plaza just next door to where our new permanent home will be. The address there is 20630 Ashburn Road Unit 183. It's named Hope's Treasures and is open 11-7 Tues-Frid and 9-5 on Sat.But this store is straight retail and does not accept donations.

The main store in Sterling is open for business Mon- Sat 11-7 and takes donations 11-6. We sometimes get there before 11 and will take your donations if we are there.

Remember to check the list on the main website (http://www.loudounhomeless.org/) for donation do's and don'ts.

STORE DONATION HOURS EXPANDED

Folks,
you heard it right. We now take donations from 11am to 6pm Monday- Saturday. Just check our website at www.loudounhomeless.org to see what we take and do not take.
Mary
FYI - yes the Sterling site is still open and will be open for several months. Keep an eye on this blog or the above mention website for when/if we close.

YES we are still taking donations in Sterling.

Folks,
As you might have heard we are moving. BUT not yet. Our location in Sterling at the Regal Center Plaza is still open and operating. See post below on specifics or check the website at www.loudounhomeless.org for more info.
Our building in Ashburn is scheduled for completion mid June - but then again this is the 5th different date we've been given since we started a year ago. So keep an eye on this blog and our website listed above. Put yourself on our email /mailing list. You will be notified when the change is happening.
Be sure to visit our temporary store in the 7-11 plaza in OLD ASHBURN. Check the website for our new store at www.hopestreasures.org. This location is only temporary and does not take donations of any kind.
Mary

How to Donate

Folks,
Just a reminder. Since yard sale season is upon us,I thought it wise to have a chat about the do's and don'ts of donating to our store.
Donation hours - Mon thru Thur we take donations 11am to 6pm.
Friday and Sat we take from 11am to 3pm.
Please arrange to arrive during those times so you not disappointed and left with a car load of donations.
It's not that we don't want our things, you have to remember Sterling is a leased spot and we have to leave it clean when we leave at night. Even if you only have one bag the 6 cars just pulling in will have more and it will never end. We have to establish limits. We only have a skeleton crew. Right now we are paying a mortgage and rent. So we are cutting cost wherever we can to still make money for our programs.
With all that said he's some general guidelines
- there is a sign posted at the drop off site - this list specific items we seem to get dumped on us and we don't have any use for these items, so they go in the trash. If it's on that list please don not disguise it and leave.That load of toys will go in the trash as well as the old time computer monitors.
-this list is not all of the items we do not take. Ask an associate BEFORE you start unloading.
-please separate breakables from clothing. - Nothing worse then reaching a bag and getting your hand sliced open on a broken piece of glass. Clothing gets tossed into a pile to get sorted later.
-if it's been in your basement and you have a damp basement - do not bring anything from there to us. I have seen at least one employee turn blue because of the mold. I know I have allergies and the one thing I can smell across the parking lot is mold and mildew. So if any employee asks if this has been stored in he basement, it's probably because thy have smelled it and will not take it.
- it should go without saying that we do not take anything wet, soiled, broken,missing pieces. But we still fill 2 dumspters every weekend with this type of stuff.
Folks check our website at www.loudounhomeless.org and click on the donation link guide. It will give you a really good idea of what we take and don't take.
We appreciate your donations. And look forward to seeing you.
Mary in Sterling
One more thing - never leave stuff after hours - it just gets stolen before we ever get to it. And it just ticks off the neighbors.

Bag Sale Children's Clothes

Folks, looks like thrift store is overrun with kids clothings. So they are having a bag sale. What does this mean..It means what ever childrens clothing you can fit into a bag is sold at one price. You'll have to check the store for the start day but it might possiblely be today Friday April 11th or as late as tommorrow. You'll have to check the store for price.
It's worth stopping.
They have tables full of childrens clothing.
Mary

Sorry,I've been away and now I've opened a new store

Folks, thanks for reading this blog. I've been really, really busy lately. We opened a second site called Hope's Treasures in Ashburn right next door to the property we are in the process of renovating. I'm on that site now until we move in the finished building. So this blog own't be updated as often. I can tell you that the thrift store is still operating and taking donation until we finish that building. I can't take any donations on site in ashburn so I send everyone to Sterling. The store will start to look empty but that's just because we need to get rid of some of the fixtures that we are not takin with us. I have takin quite a few to the new store already. Stop by and say hi.
Mary

Hope's Treasures MAY be opening soon

Keep watching this blog. I can't give full details yet. But we may have a location to put our RETAIL store HOPE'S TREASURES. This location will only serve as a retail outlet and not a donation drop off.
WE WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY DONATIONS ONSITE AT ALL. THERE WILL NOT BE ANY EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.
It will be filled with many new treasures.
Mary

Brand NEW Toasters for sale NOW

And not just any toaster. These add and image to your toast. They are selling for $10 each. They make great gifts. Get yours now. They will sell fast today.

Mary

Children's Clothes

On Saturday, I got a batch of almost 100 pieces of children's 2 pc fleece type material outfits. These were brand new on hangers and they are selling like hotcakes. They are $5 for the set.
Mary

Remembering my New Years Resolution

Today, I'm remembering my New Year's Resolution.

"To become more tolerate of the ignorate people of this world"


Mary


PS. Especially as I drive to work

Yes, we're still in Sterling

Folks,
I'm still in Sterling taking donations. Ashburn is still in progress and won't be ready for another couple of months.
So feel free to visit our main website and check out the donation quidelines page.
Mary

More than your average thrift store

The Good Shepherd Alliance Thrift store is more than you average thrift store. The days of the thrift store being a dumpy little hole offering up someones well worn jeans are gone. Our thrift store offers up only the best bargain for your money. You shouldn't find many Walmart, Target brands on our floors. Instead you find a vast assortment of designer label clothing for a fraction of the original cost. I often have moms dragging their disinterested teens into the store, only to have them find more stuff then mom does.
Value is the name of the game these days.Everyone is looking to save money.With soaring gas prices and property taxes every one's looking to save money. My clientele at the thrift store is an eclectic mix of individuals. Most have nice paying jobs and live in nice homes and drive nice cars. This is one of the misconceptions people have about thrift stores, that it attracts only low income people.Well my customers would beg to differ. I have alot of retirees also that haunt the store daily looking for that special collectible.
With that said I must also tell you about the other portion of our thrift store. Not only does it provide clothing to all our shelter guest but it also is a valuable community resource. The voucher system was in place before I got here. I've just tweaked it along the way.This year we got a big bonus when Wegman's stepped up to the plate and offered gift cards to those referrals coming out of the school system.We get referrals from everywhere. Any Loudoun County Social service, churches,schools. This is an important aspect to why we are here.
On those times when things are not going right and it looks like the whole world is against us, it only takes someone in need to come and get what they need. And it all falls into place when they turn to you and say thanks....
Mary

Thrift Store Needs Quart Canning Jars

Folks,for a special item I'm prepping for sale I need a about 100 canning jars. But they have to be the quart size or they won't work for my project. I'd love to have the lids too.They can be dropped off anytime we have donation hours.
Thanks in advance
Mary

Perfect answer for Valentine's you forgot.

Did you forget your Valentine or get stuck at home yesterday?
Here's the perfect answer. Make a donation to GSA to benefit it's shelter programs.
Instead of flowers or candy donate money in their name to our shelter programs. The link takes you to a secure website.
Donate now to honor your Valentine
Remember money donated to GSA doesn't get used for Thrift Store operations. The thrift store generates all it's own money to pay expenses and then sends money back to GSA.

Have you bought your Valentine her gift?

Here's some suggestions from us.

-we have a huge variety of jewelry available. See one of our sales associates for all the latest incoming jewelry.

Also don't forget we have a number of pieces of fine jewelry from "a greater gift" these are items made oversees and are what I call "feel good" gifts. not only are you helping the homeless in Loudoun County but your purchase also helps the artist in these developing nations get a fair wage for their talents.

Stop in today to see what's available

Mary

Purcellvile Baptist Church - youth group spends an afternoon with the GSA thrift store

Hey all, if you happened upon the thrift store on Saturday you would have noticed all the young people in the store. these young people were from the Purceville Baptist Church. As part of the Discipline Now weekend. The kids all spend several hours on Saturday making a difference in the community. I had the pleasure of hosting 15 of the young ladies in the thrift store. They made a tremendous difference in how the store looked. They even helped us put together the scripture survival kits that I will have for sale later this week. I can't thank them enough for the hard work they put into that afternoon. I would love to bottle the energy they exhibit when going about work like this. Many thanks again to Purcellville Baptist Church. They are just ONE of a growing number of churches who have stepped up and asked how they can help. We couldn't do the work we go without the support of the community. thanks again Mary

Click on pix below to take you to all the pictures I shot at Feb 9th at thrift store.

Purcellville Baptist Church - Youth Group

Dollar Days in Children's clothing Sat Feb9th

Folks,
Childrens Clothing are all $1 each. Today Saturday Feb 9th only 11am-7pm
We have way too many childrens clothing to hang right now.
-only childrens clothing - no shoes or other items are in included in sale Childrens clothing sizes are from o-3 month all the way up to size 12.
Mary

Childrens Clothing BAG Sale is coming to Thrift Store

Yell it from the roof tops, pass the word along. On Friday Morning we open at 11am for our 1st Annual Children's Clothing Bag Sale. We provide the bags you provide the will power and stamina to root thru 60' of rack space and several tables full of bins. All with children's clothing. Mostly winter there may be some spring mixed in the bunch. If it's out in the sales area it's up for grabs.
We have way too many childrens clothing to hang right now.
Here's the ground rules:
- bags are provide by us. This makes it fair to everyone.
-You may double bag at double the cost.
-bag must tie up
-only childrens clothing - no shoes or other items are in this bag sale. Childrens clothing sizes are from o-3 month all the way up to size 12.
-you must bring your bag to cashier and they WILL go through the contents of your bag to make sure you didn't get your regular purchases mixed in the bag.
The doors opne promptly at 11am remember be kind and no running.
Check store for additional rules that might come up before sale on Friday Feb 8th.
This is a one day only sale (Friday Feb 8th 2008) and will not be repeated in this location this year.
Mary

Are you a Nascar Fan?

I just discovered racing over a year and a half ago. I love it.Anyhow as we are in constant cleanout mode I just came across 3 Nascar jackets. I must have been holding them for auction last year. But I didn't uncover them in time.Here's what I got:

These are oldies because 2 feature Mark Martin in sponser that he no longer drives for ( I think).

Anyhow they are not out on the floor and you will have to ask for them. They are $35 each. Remember sales help us support our homeless shelters. they are all Large's

Mary

One of my favorite roofing companies - DryHome Roofing & Siding

At our new Ashburn facility these wonderful folks from DRYHOME came out and replaced the hole the contractors had to put in the roof to get the big beam in the 2nd floor. These guys are fast and very professional (can't you tell from the peace sign). 2 years ago these put a roof - for free on one of GSA houses. I can't say enough about this company. They have since, done a number of homes of people we know and I know they are very happy with their roofs.

Calling all Real Estate Agents

Are you selling a house with little or no furnishings? I have the answer. My store. I have a few real estate agents that come in regularly for finishing touches on the house or condo they are trying to sell. I have a large selection of what nots which include vases, flowers, pictures etc. You name it I probalby have it. I get a huge amount of linens. Things like rugs,curtains, draperies and tableclothes. All at very affordable cost. Stop in today look around you won't be disappointed.

Mary

Does anybody watch Extreme Home Makeover?

My family loves this show and yes I love it. I've noticed a theme running in the last 2 weeks. Nearhomelessness. Last week the couple who has a child with a really rare medical problem and whose medical bills are some $500,000 a year were only several weeks away from being homeless. They lost their house because they couldn't afford to make the payments. They were living in a rental house but because of the childs medical issues they were in danger of loosing that house too.
This sunday featured a family whose house was damaged by flood. The house was razed and their home loan didn't go though. They were living in a rental apartment but it was becoming more and more difficult to make a mortage and a rent payment.

In both case ABC stepped in and WITH the HELP of the COMMUNITY, they built houses for these folks and they are now back to living a normal life. I've seen the application the EHM and they do extensive background checks on these individuals before they agree to help. So my point - here are 2 families near the brink of homelessness and neither case was really their fault. These folks are not criminals nor are they mentally challenged. They are plain folks that needed a helping hand. Just as the vast majority of homeless folks in the United States. The number one cause of homelessness in America is lack of affordable housing. This is fact is according to the National Coalition to end Homelessness. Another scary fact - half of the people living on the street are CHILDERN. This fact also listed on the NCH website.

How can you help? Start asking how you can help. Start talking to your neighbors. Talk with your supervisors, talk to the politician's aks how they intend on helping this year. With the rate of foreclosures looming in Loudoun County prepare yourself for another Katrina like disaster.
Just my 2 cents.
Mary

Harry Potter anyone?

This just came in. The latest installment in the Harry Potter series. This author is truely inspiring. She had nothing before she started writing these books and look at her now. This is a $35 book. I've speically priced it at $10. It's in great shape

Titled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows By R. K. Rowling

Somebody's New Years Resolution's went down the tubes

I just priced these and put them up from to sell. Left to right.
-The cindy Crawford Meaningful Beauty Kit. $20
-Dead Sea Nail Treatment Kit - $10
-The Adkins For Life Kit - (it's missing the CD). Price is $5

These types of items always come in middle of January. Somebody made a New Years resolution to take better care of themselves and their life gets too busy and they never use the stuff they buy. Good for us because we get alot of new products this way. Stop by and check out these products they are behind the cash register so you have to ask.
Mary

Ladies with Valentine's Day approaching now is the time to clean out your jewelry box.

Ladies,

We all love jewelry. When's the last time you cleaned out your jewelry box? I have alot of regular customer's that come in looking for jewelry. Everyone thinks about donating clothing and household items but rarely does one think to raid their jewelry box. The thrift store sells a ton of jewelry every month. WE love jewelry because it's small and easy to display. It sells it's self. So check your jewelry box. We love all kinds of jewelry. Costume, fine, designer and vintage are all some the types we take. We ask that you separate from the rest of your donations and hand it to an employee. Tell them it's jewelry and they will either give to me to price or take it to Marilyn or Miriam to price.

With Valentine's Day approaching it gives our customers a better selection for gifts, for those on a budget.

thanks

Mary

GSA Teams with LCPS and Wegmans. A real good thing

Good Shepherd Alliance, LCPS and Wegmans Join Forces to Help ‘Near-Homeless’
The Good Shepherd Alliance (GSA), Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) and the Wegmans grocery chain have announced a combined effort to help people in Loudoun County who are nearing homelessness and are not eligible to receive public assistance.
LCPS schools will issue a voucher to families that school administrators identify as needing assistance. Such identification might come through a child not having the right clothing for the weather as they arrive at school or a teacher noticing weight loss even though the child is already getting a free or reduced-price lunch at school.
The school voucher may be taken to the GSA Thrift Store located in Regal Plaza off Route 7 in Countryside. When the family comes to the GSA Thrift store, they hand the voucher to the cashier as they arrive and the cashier records the items they select as they leave. There are some limitations as GSA still needs to help the homeless. (The Thrift Store may be contacted at 703-444-5956. GSA is located at http://www.loudounhomeless.org/on the Web. This Web site includes a link to the Thrift Store.)
A bonus to the program is that families taking a voucher to the Thrift Store will be given a debit card for $25 worth of groceries at the Wegmans Sterling store at Route 28 and Waxpool Road.
This is a way to help families before they fall into the homeless category. The Good Shepherd Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that has been providing emergency housing and near-term support for the homeless of Loudoun County since 1983.

Valentine's Day Ideas from "A Greater Gift"

Here are some great ideas for Valentine's Day from "A Greater Gift"
The first pix is a set of Garnet Heartbeat Earrings. It's aheart within a heart. Consists of rich garnet stone suspended from a sterling silver heart. Silver hooks. These are made in Nepal. 1 1/2" long x 7/8" wide.
Price is $28.00










The Heartfelt Locket -pictured below
A meaningful and classic gift. This sterling silver, etched heart locket opens to hold pictures of two loved ones. Hinge on bottom side. Comes with 18 in. sterling silver chain. 1 1 / 2 in. l x 1 in. w x 1 / 4 in. h . Sells for $48.00


















Everyone one loves Chocolate.
Divine Chocolate is made with the best quality fair trade cocoa beans from Kuapa Kokoo cooperative in Ghana.
"It's the best guilt free chocolate around" - Mary says







Set of 2 capiz shell heart ornaments. One is three dimensional with black trim and one is flat with silver details. each approx. 2 1 / 2 in. h . These sell for $6 for the pair.

Set of 3. Glass beads in red, purple & pink. 3 1 / 4 in. l x 3 / 4 in. w Set of 3. These sell for $10 for the set of 3.
The Cream colored silk scarf has a delicate flower,vine and heart motif. Fromn India. It's 51"1 x 13"wide. Sells for $15


A unique combarbalite stone to remind someone you love them. Combarbalite is a type of soapstone native to the Combarbalá region in Chile. Natural stone color varies. 3 in. l x 3 1 / 4 in. w x 1 in. h Sells for $8.70

Attention Mothers of young children - look what we got

Hey to all the Mom's out there, this is for those with young children. We just got in about a dozen of the Infantino SAVVY SEAT Jr. These are a must have for shopping anywhere you put your child in a shopping cart. Do you know how many germs there are on those cart. ICK. Here's the solution. I have priced these at 9.99 because they are all brand new in the box. They retail for 16.99 at places like Target. Get them quick because my next post is to Craigs List.

They are behind the register just ask the cashier for one.

Mary

Loudoun Rewards Cards are available for sale

Hey folks,
I just got a fresh shipment of the 2008 Loudoun Rewards Card Program. Not only can you save 10% off almost everything in my store but there are tons of other local merchants to take advantage. Our Books sell for $15 and we get to keep half.
If you're a frequent shopper this card will pay for itself over and over again.
Here's the link to the program http://www.loudounrewards.com/ but don't forget to buy the card from us.
Mary

Children's Clothes

We have just hung a ton of childrens clothes. So much that, I pulled out 3 extra racks out of the back room. All our childrens clothes are now individually tagged. So there's no guessing about the price.It's right there on the tag.
Prices range for .99 up to 4.99 for 2pc sets. You've got to see to believe.
Mary
Store hours are 11 to 7 Mon- Sat
Get there early for best selection

Donations

Hey all,
We're back taking donations. Here's a listing of regular hours.
Mon- Thurs 11am to 6pm
Fri- Sat ONLY FROM 11am to 3pm.
I know it's heart wrenching to show up at 4 pm and find out we've shut down at 3pm.
My suggestion is to call. 703-444-5956 ask for hours.
We have to shut it down at a specific time or we would be taking donations all night and we have to clear out the back and clean up the outside.
And a reminder to all we are still in Sterling.
Ashburn won't be ready for another couple of months.
Please , Please do not leave anything there. It will be lost or stolen because Thrift Store is not operating on this site until after OP has been issued.
Mary

Goodsearch

Folks,
GSA has been set up on Goodsearch as a beneficiary. Just use our org as the beneficiary when you search. Click on the button to the left and it will leave you to Goodsearch.org's website. From there you can get the 411 of how it works.
I have it installed on my browser and use it as my search engine.
Mary

REMINDER - NO DONATIONS MON OR TUESDAY

Just a reminder, we're NOT taking any donations Mon or Tues (that's the 7Th & 8Th). We need a few days to concentrate on cleaning and straightening the store.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
Mary

New Favorite added

Folks,
I just added a link to my favorite computer guy. Ed Williams has fixed several of my printers and helped me tremendously with IT issues. He is very quick and reliable. I would certainly recommend him to anyone with computer needs especially printer issues. I jammed up my own printer which wasn't even a year old. Ed fixed it and had it back to me in a couple of days. Here's the link again to his webpage. I found him very helpful and easy to understand.
http://www.ecwandassociates.com.
Mary

Donation Hours Reminder

Because we have been so overwhelmed by all your generous donations, we've had to cut back on our hours for just a little bit.
Here's the scoop
Friday Jan 4 and Sat Jan 5th we will take donations at our normal time. Which is 11am to 3pm. ( We stop right at 3 because if we took just one more bag, we'd be there all night)
NEXT MONDAY AND TUESDAY JAN 7 & 8 2008 WE WILL NOT BE TAKING ANY DONATIONS. THIS IS SO WE CAN PLAY CATCH UP FROM THE YEAR END.
We'll start taking donations again as normal on Wednesday Jan 9th from 11 am to 6pm.
Thursday Jan 10th hours are the same 11 til 6pm.
Friday and Sat 11- 3pm.
Please honor these times. Staff is really trying hard to clean out the store and get our donations under control. It's coming along nicely and couple of days without focusing on incoming donations will help them turn the store around.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Mary
FYI - on Dec 31st between 11 am and 3 pm. We gave out 114 receipts for donations. And most people had more than one bag. So image what that mountain must look like right now. So have patience and we'll be back to normal in no time

We gone to the dogs

I just found half a dozen of these cute little collars for dogs. They are a size large and fit a 16-20" neck. They were way too cute to just leave sit on a shelf. I had to feature here. We're selling these for $3.

Mary

We now have clothes for bears

We just got in 3 small boxes full of bear clothes. You know the type I'm talking about. You go to the mall to one of those stores and stuff the bear yourself and then buy those outragously priced outfits to make a sharp looking bear.We'll we got a ton of those little outfits. There are many kinds to choose from including:

police officer

military- air force, army, marines

Fire fighter

pj's

There's lots more accessories and such.

Highest prices you will find are for the clothes with shoes and these sets will sell for $5.
Stop in the store and take a look.
Mary

Our main website is down.

Hey folks,
If you've tried getting onto our main webpage at http://www.loudounhomeless.org/ it was down. Our server doesn't know why. It's back up and running now.But since this blog is on a separate website it's up and running.
Sorry to those that tried to donate late on Monday. We got hit early and I had to shut donations down at 3pm. We just got way too much stuff in. Which is a good thing. That's why I recommeneded to everyone calling on Monday to get there early.
We'll be open for donations today (Wednesday) but probably only till 3. Call before you head out. 703-444-5956.
We still have tons and tons of bedspreads and sheets. I'm actually picking up more sheets tommorrow. At 50 cents each, they make great drop cloths.
Drive carefully, school is back in session.
Mary