Joan Stiles, taking home her purchases.
The Friends of Matheny’s Second Chance shop set a new record for the 2012-2013 season, reaching $126,036.08 in sales, its largest total ever and a 48% increase over the previous year’s $85,000. Previous high was reached in the 2006-07 season when the shop earned $105.275.58.
This was the shop’s first year in a building adjacent to the Gladstone United Methodist Church, after operating for several years out of the church’s basement. Funds raised by the Second Chance Shop help support a variety of activities and programs at Matheny.
Janet Stiles of Far Hills, was one of the last shoppers to make a purchase on Friday, June 22, the last day before closing for the summer. A “regular” there, she bought some clothes and a very unusual wooden holder for pots and pans. “I stop in quite frequently to check things out.”
The Second Chance shop will reopen for one day on August 22 for “First Chance at Second Chance.” Then, it will reopen permanently on September 4.
