It’s been a busy few weeks at Care & Share!  If you have been in the Book Shoppe or walked by the former Ten Thousand Villages (“TTV”), you have likely noticed activities.

As we reported to you earlier, with the unexpected closing of Ten Thousand Villages in December, we are faced with the monthly cost of their space, as they subleased the shop space from Care & Share. This amounts to about $5,000 a month of rent and related space costs.  After fielding a few initial inquiries from outside parties which did not pan out, we decided to move the Book Shoppe retail to the TTV space, and expand Variety into the current Book Shoppe retail space. This move provides the Book Shoppe with about 350 sq. feet of additional retail, and Variety with over 2,800 sq. feet. This extra breathing room for our customers is expected to increase sales as the shopping experience will feel less cramped and constrained by narrow aisles.

TTV vacated the premises on January 15, and contractors began work within 48 hours. At this time, we are not publicly announcing the moves, as we await final township approvals and labor completion. New cash registers are scheduled to be installed in the TTV space on Tuesday, January 21. Following that, setting up the freestanding shelves and getting the final occupancy permit remains. We expect to be open in the new space very shortly after that.

When the Book Shoppe has moved, work will begin to open a section of the wall between Variety and the former Book Shoppe. While that is occurring, the Variety Shoppe will remain open, but there may be a small area cordoned off during the wall breakthrough. Following the wall work, the new area will be thoroughly cleaned, and shelving will be put in place. The anticipated opening of the expanded Variety Shoppe area is in early February.

These expansions afford more volunteer opportunities in both departments. Stocking shelves, hub volunteers, and merchandise processor positions are available!  We have a healthy backlog of unsorted donations, which will find a home in these new places.  We invite you to talk to either the department’s leadership or Maggie if you would be interested in learning more!

Thanks for your support of Care & Share. Your positive outlook on these significant changes can make a huge difference in the success of the project.  We appreciate the time you share with us.

Announcements

Eagle’s Super Bowl Promotion

Friday, February 14, 2025

Wear your Eagle’s Merch (or something green) and receive 25% off one item per Shoppe, up to $25. Cannot be combined with other discounts or used on Auctions. Congrats to the Philadelphia Eagles!