The old proverb that a rolling stone gathers no moss has been in use for well over 1,000 years. The common interpretation is that mosses and lichens, which are very slow growing organisms, thrive when they are not disturbed. Thus, rocks and stones that move tend to remain free from moss cover. God’s mission often requires movement. Movement is hard to do when you are settled in and comfortable. But God’s plan is more important. Care & Share is pleased to announce plans for movement!
As many of you know, Ten Thousand Villages ended their 25 years mission of selling fair trade goods at the Souderton Shopping Center in December. We were as surprised to hear of their plans to close operations as you likely were. They subleased their store from Care & Share, and we continue to be obligated for the monthly rent after their closure. To cover the approximate $5,000 a month costs of the space, we have looked at what the possibilities were for covering that cash flow.
After careful consideration, and the receipt of tentative approval from Hilltown Township and the Mosaic Conference Property Board, we are pleased to announce our plans to move the Book Shoppe into the TTV retail space. Further, we will expand the Variety Shoppe into the former Books retail area.
Those who serve or shop in Variety are well aware of the current space limitations of our retail space. The aisles are narrow, which can lead to our shoppers not seeing everything the shoppe has to offer. With the plan approved, we will be opening a portion of the wall between the Variety and existing Book shoppes to join the spaces. We will leave the cash hub in Books in place to offer additional check out options for our customers. The doorway into the existing Book Shoppe will become an Exit Only from the expanded Variety space. This addition provides approximately 2,500 sq. feet of additional retail space and two more register checkouts.
The current Book workroom will remain where it is located. We will assign staff from our Production and Donation teams to move the merchandise prepared to sell from the workroom to the new Book Shoppe. The new Book Shoppe has a nicely sized space behind the retail floor to accept priced merchandise before it is restocked to the sales floor. The Book Shoppe will be adding 475 sq. feet of retail space over its existing 2,880 sq. feet. This will allow for attractive merchandising displays as well as increased space for events like Story Time.
These are exciting changes that we trust will bring increased traffic and customers to our two shoppes. History has shown us that expansions have yielded significant increases in our customer response. It will also provide expanded opportunities for volunteers and staff. We wanted to share this news with you now that we have the tentative approvals to begin. We expect to see construction begin in mid-January. More information will be shared as it becomes available. As always, thank you for your support of Care & Share!