Less than two months ago ten hard-working women acted on a God-given idea of having a pop-up sale of gently used, stylish women’s clothing and accessories. We quickly bonded, pooled our talents, and divided responsibilities.
Over Monday luncheons in our various homes, and with no budget, we tapped into resources such as yardmen, a 17-year-old son with graphic design skills, connections in media, and the Faith Mission and Faith Refuge program students. Then we emptied our closets and only kept what sparked joy. The rest would be sold for the benefit of Faith Refuge.
We had skills in retail, social media, graphic design, communications, marketing, design, staging, organization, and connections to contacts who had resources we lacked.
In addition to myself, the steering committee consisted of Nina Brackeen, Shirley Craft, Wynn Heyen, Kim McClellan, Janey McCown, Lynn Moran, Ronna Prickett, Shana Vordenbaum, and Carol Wagner.
Wichita Falls Faith Mission Inc. added strong support from CEO Steve Sparks, Director of Development Frances Anne Manning and her assistant, Lyka Walton, manpower from Faith Enterprises, and skills of the “program women” from Faith Refuge. Delicious meals were prepared by the Faith Mission chef.
Our initial donation was 253 items from one woman who had to clear out her piles of clothing before weekend guests arrived. I am embarrassed to say my donation was about the same size. But what remains in my closet gives me joy, and I love the transformation that has taken place!
First Presbyterian Church graciously loaned us their fellowship hall and conference room at no charge for our sale, with “Brother” Washington making coffee and helping us defend parking spaces so MSU students wouldn’t fill the lot.
We weren’t entirely surprised when a tsunami of clothing hit us the week of the sale because we had been averaging 50-75 pieces per person. We had a steady stream of cars in line for curbside drop-off.
Program women skillfully used tagging guns to attach price tags before rolling racks went to the sales floor in record time. We developed dressing rooms and departments for shoes, handbags, scarves, luggage, couture clothing and jewelry, with mannequins tastefully dressed in coordinated items.
he girls from the Refuge were given $30 credit daily and would show up the next day modeling their new clothing, as did the rest of us.
We were given two whole wardrobes by families whose loved ones had recently passed away. A full-length reversible black mink fur sold for $1,000, and several pieces of jewelry were appraised at hundreds of dollars. The most unusual item was probably the coyote fur. More than half of what we sold was priced at $5 and under, so everyone left happy.
Country Club women and formerly homeless addicts in recovery worked and laughed together, developing strong bonds. Discussion about next year’s sale started before our event even began — we were having FUN! Our best story is of the “Cinderella boots,” which were discovered to contain eight $100 bills.
When a donor described the boots precisely along with brand and size, she confessed she had a habit of hiding money and then rewarded the honest volunteer with the boots and a nice tip.
The second day was half price day, and when we went to 75 percent at 3 p.m., we uncovered the baby grand piano so Josh White could accompany the gospel singing of programmer Joy O’steen, Then we added chocolate covered strawberries and bonbons to create a truly elegant shopping experience!
Johnelle Donnell has been a member of the Times Record News editorial board and was a founding force behind the creation of Faith Refuge.