How to donate
Where: The Clothesline, 22 N. Second St., Tipp City
When: 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Saturdays; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays.
TIPP CITY — For nearly three decades, Peg Hadden said she has been blessed to operate “one of the city’s best kept secrets.”
The Clothesline, a family thrift store that sells donated clothing, sits in a quaint courtyard on Second Street in downtown.
Hadden opened the store in 1981 with Norma Greenwalt. It is operated under the umbrella of the Tipp City Nazarene Church. The women coordinate the 168 volunteers and eight area churches that keep the store running.
Hadden is the store’s director and a retired Tipp City school teacher.
Pam Dillon, 61, of Tipp City, said she shopped at the Clothesline long before she became a volunteer. She helped sort clothes once a month with the women’s ministry from the Tipp City Nazarene Church.
“I shopped there when my four children were small. And I still shop there,” she said.
“When my children were small my husband had left, and I worked at Krogers. It’s really a good program. Not only can you go there and buy good quality clothing for your family, but it helps community organizations. It’s also fun working there.”
More than 40 organizations — including food pantries, youth centers, the Family Abuse Center in Troy, Hospice, the Salvation Army, Partners in Hope, St. Patrick’s Soup Kitchen in Troy and Habitat for Humanity — receive money made from the store, Hadden said.
During Christmas, they gave 150 families coupons to receive goods from Needy Baskets of Southern Miami County.
“We get bags of donations every week,” Hadden said. “We only put out the better stuff donated to us.”
Donations are accepted during store hours: 2 to 8 p.m., Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays and Saturdays; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays.
The average price is $2, though some clothing can cost as much as $25. “A new Christmas fleece sweater with a $48 tag on it came to us yesterday,” Hadden said.
She added that plans are to sell it for Christmas 2010.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2341 or kullmer@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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