ditto

ditto

upscale resale

At the Annual Association meeting of Eastern Christian School held Wednesday, February 24th, it was announced that the Foundation for Eastern Christian School will be opening a new and larger thrift store under the name of ditto later this summer. Details of this new venture are outlined below in the form of Questions and Answers.

• Q. What is ditto?
• Q. Why the name ditto?
• Q. So it's like the Corner Closet we used to operate?
• Q. What else?
• Q. In what other ways will ditto be different?
• Q. What hours will ditto be open?
• Q. Who will operate ditto?
• Q. Have you found that person?
• Q. But this will still be volunteer staffed, correct?
• Q. How many volunteers will ditto require?
• Q. Will you need volunteers before the store opens?
• Q. Where will ditto be located?
• Q. What happens next?
• Q. When will ditto open?
• Q. How you can help...

Q. What is ditto?
A. ditto is the name of a new and different store that the Foundation for Eastern Christian will soon be launching. Sales generated by ditto will directly benefit Eastern Christian Schools, their families and the local communities as well.

Q. Why the name ditto?
A. ditto, in its informal use, is defined as: "to indicate that something already said is applicable a second time" (Oxford American Dictionary). Foundation representatives visited some very successful thrift stores in Michigan and were very favorably impressed with a store called ditto in Holland, MI. We loved their store concept and we liked the name so we asked for, and graciously received their permission to use the ditto name for our store.

Q. So it's like the Corner Closet we used to operate?
A. Some similarities, but very different. ditto will not be a consignment shop. All items sold in our store will be donated.

Q. What else?
A. Well, you'll notice under the ditto name it says upscale resale. The inventory that we sell will be quality merchandise in good condition, appropriate for the season, and priced to sell.

We will accept only those donations which are clean, in good condition and ready for resale. For example we will not be able to accept any clothing with missing buttons, broken zippers, or with holes, tears or stains. We also will not accept items smelling smoky, of mothballs or musty. Clothing is just one example, a list of what types of donations we will and will not be able to accept will be coming out later in the spring.

It is our hope that anyone donating articles won't just be donors but will enjoy shopping with us as well. Having quality donations that are only gently worn or used, sold at prices far below any retail store will hopefully ensure a unique and very rewarding shopping experience. After all, everyone likes a good deal!

Q. In what other ways will ditto be different?
A. At 11,000 square feet you'll find our new store to be almost 4 times larger than the Corner Closet. This will allow for larger inventory as well as expanded categories of merchandise such as some appliances, limited furniture, and sporting goods and recreational items, which will be displayed and available for sale. There will be a convenient drive up area for donors to drop-off donations during designated hours. Receipts for accepted donations will be available during regular hours. We will also have sorting/processing areas for donations.

• ditto will accept major credit cards, will have its own website and use up to date technology in its operations.
• We hope to be able to offer limited pick-up and delivery of large items purchased or donated. Although not available from the beginning, pick up and delivery is a goal in the foreseeable future.

Q. What hours will ditto be open?
A. Our plans call for ditto to be open year-round (except major holidays), including summer months. We are planning on 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday. Though subject to adjustment, we plan to be open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, Saturdays 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Q. Who will operate ditto?
A. ditto will operate as an extension of the Foundation for Eastern Christian School, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It will have its own Board of Directors and a full-time Director to handle the daily responsibilities associated with actually operating a retail store of this scale.

Q. Have you found that person?
A. The Foundation interviewed and hired Mr. Eric Hawn who is a former EC parent. Eric has a very impressive resume in the retail store field and was part of the team that went to Michigan to visit stores. Eric also serves in church ministry and has experience working in a Christian non-profit organization. He and his wife Linda live in the area and have four grown children. We are excited that a person of this caliber was interested in the position and again, we clearly saw providence in this process.

Q. But this will still be volunteer staffed, correct?
A. You better believe it! We depend on our volunteers, they are our lifeblood! In the past, the Corner Closet, and any ministry for the matter, couldn't function without servant hearts that so eagerly and joyfully lend a hand.

Q. How many volunteers will ditto require?
A. Due to the larger space and longer operating hours our needs will be greater as well. We will need a wide range of men and women volunteers throughout the day. We will also need those who would volunteer through our closing hours. We do hope, through arrangement with EC's High School, to supplement those volunteers with student assistance.

We will be reaching out in the next few months to our former Corner Closet volunteers as well as recruiting potential new volunteers who are ready and able to assist us. Frequency of serving and specific hours of service will be worked out to suit each individual's needs and circumstances.

Q. Will you need volunteers before the store opens?
A. Absolutely, we will! As our renovations near completion we will require help setting up racks, shelves and counters as well as actually receiving and sorting donations, preparing to put them on the selling floor. We will also need a few talented volunteers who are experienced at skillfully "renewing" any donated furniture that might need a slight "touch up", others to test any electrically operated donations as well as those with mechanical skills. A list of specific needs will be addressed in the near future.

In short, there will be lots of other opportunities for serving that will be identified, some right up through the opening process as well.

Q. Where will ditto be located?
A. ditto will be located in North Haledon, at 965 Belmont Ave. just north of Overlook Ave.  Our location and building will provide easy access, abundant parking, and great street exposure. The expansive storefront with 9,000 square feet of selling space and 2,000 square feet of processing and storage space are almost ideal for our needs. Added to a number of other factors, it seemed clear that providence had provided this location.

Q. What happens next?
A. This spring, we will begin an extensive renovation to the site of our new store to prepare it for an upscale retail store.

Q. When will ditto open?
A. Our hope is to have the store ready to open for business early to mid August with fall merchandise.  In advance of the opening we will aggressively advertise the opening date; we'll have it on EC's website, advertise in local newspapers, in school bulletins, church bulletins, and on ditto's own website which we will be developing and via any other means that we can identify.

Q. How you can help...
A. First and foremost, pray for us as we go through this process. This is vital and will be greatly appreciated.

Also, please understand that we are not currently able to accept/hold ANY merchandise donations. We will use numerous avenues to advise when we are prepared to start accepting merchandise donations, as well as notifying what items we will/and will not be able to accept. We greatly appreciate your understanding and enthusiastic support as we undertake this exciting new venture.

In addition to the many questions we have tried to answer, we're sure there will be more. Please hold your questions until after we start construction and firm up dates. We will then update our information. For questions re: ditto requiring immediate response, you may call the Eastern Christian Foundation office at 973.427.9294.