Director's Report | Jackie S Attic

August Report

Several times a week I am asked about “the Royal.” Sometimes I am asked by customers: “When are you opening up your new store?” Sometimes I am asked by neighbors: “Yesterday I saw several guys in ski masks on the roof of your building. How come you let them in, but not us?” Sometimes I am asked by strangers who just wander right into “The Royal” : “Hey, what happened to all the tables? Never mind, I'll just take a burger 'to go.'”

In answer to your many questions and comments . . . I don't know.

Last January we purchased 217 Chestnut St. in Virginia. (You can read about our plan and vision here:

Shortly after purchasing the property, the city council of Virginia unanimously passed an ordinance preventing us from using the location for our thrift store.

Currently the city is permitting the use of 217 Chestnut for storage only. We will continue to renovate the building as we wait for the city to set an occupancy and zone it for public usage.

Although our vision to use this building to improve the landscape of the downtown area and enhance the quality of life for the residents of Virginia has not changed, questions like “how” or “when” or “what” or “why for the love of God?” should be reserved for a higher authority. For the foreseeable future, “Jackie's Attic” Thrift Store will continue to operate from its current location, 210 5th Avenue South, across from the library.

I understand that many of you still have questions and comments. I have a lot of “questions and comments” myself. There was a time in my life when I would have loved to share my “questions and comments,” loudly, with city officials. I might have put these “questions and comments” in writing and sent them to news organizations and civil rights groups and lawyers. I might have marched in front of city hall with social workers, nurses, police officers, ministers, business owners, fellow foster families and other advocates for the oppressed -waving signs and banners brandished with pithy expressions of our many “questions and comments.” But I would hope that I have more useful things to do then to waste time fighting city hall. And I would guess that city hall has more important things to do than to waste any time fighting with me. So we will continue to pray for grace and wisdom . . . and then shut up and haul furniture for strangers. If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to consult a higher authority.

August Expenses:

Rent: $900

Internet: $70

Utilities: $319

Vehicle expenses/gas: $228

Repairs and maintenance: $210

Charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $1354

Total expenses: $3081

Sales: $6110

Gifts: $887

August total: $3916

August mileage: 1579

YTD:

Balance: $18656

2024 mileage: 8751

-fully furnished 40 families

-helped move91 people

-hauled over 39470 pounds

-provided over 340 meals

Organizations that we have partnered with in 2024:

Accra

AEOA, Virginia

AEOA, Hibbing Shelter

Bethel, Duluth

Bethesda Church

Bible Read-a-thon

Bill's House

Biwabik Covenant

Cedar Rapids Bible Chapel

Elk's Club

Essentia Health, Virginia

First Covenant Church, Virginia

Fortune Bay

Foster Care

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

HRA

Lakeview

Labor Union

NHS

Northeast Bible Chapel

Northstar Church

Our Savior's Lutheran

Partner's in Recovery

Pine Mill Court

Rachel's Thrift Store

Range of Hearts

Range Mental Health

Range Transitional Housing

Regional Playhouse

Residential Services Incorporated (2 group homes, ARMHS)

Salvation Army

St. Louis County Social Workers (18)

St. Louis County Community Health Programming

True Hope Church

Twelve Step House

United Way

Virginia Bible Chapel

Virginia Green House

Wellstone Center

Youth Foyer (Virginia)

Youth For Christ

*Jackie's Attic is being absorbed by the 501C3 "Someone Ought To." Any sales, donations or assets accrued by "Jackies Attic" will belong to the charity and be used for its stated purposes.

July 2024 Report

This week “Jackie's Attic” recorded its 400th outstanding IOU. Granted, most of our volunteers are usually too busy stocking the shelves or finding the Narcan to care about keeping precise accounts -so these numbers may not be exact. Regardless, this is still a pretty impressive feat -especially when you consider that we are a “set your own price thrift store.” This means that, approximately 400 times, a customer picked their own price, but could not pay it. I want to write that again: They picked their own price, but could not pay it. We have all had moments in our life where money has been tight. The waiter leaves the check or the cashier rings up the order and we worry that we are not going to have enough to cover the cost . . . Now imagine that same situation, except instead of being handed a bill, you were allowed to choose how much you wanted pay . . . and you still could not pay it. Maybe pick a lower number? Perhaps, before you go shopping, see how much money you have and then don't try to pay more than that?

There is a saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” After 400 empty promises, you would think that we would know better. Of course, we do know better!

We do not accept IOUs because we trust people. We accept IOUs because we like people. And we would rather lose money than have a customer lose face. I know, for some, the unpaid tabs and bounced checks and “Oops, I forgot my wallets” is a practiced scam to avoid paying anything. But for a few, the IOU represents something truly amazing: it means that a person who did not have any money, instead of feeling entitled to a handout, looked at our charity and thought, “I want to give them more than I have.” How do you say “no” to that?

Expenses:

Rent: $800

Internet: $134

Utilities: $349

Tax: $1111

Vehicle expenses/gas: $186

Charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $970

Total expenses: $4972

Sales: $5688

Gifts: $850

July income: $1566

July deliveries: 16 deliveries, helped 14 people move, furnished 6 homes, hauled over 8000 pounds

July mileage: 1579

Current balance: $14,740

June 2024 Report

If you have been by "Jackie's Attic" recently, then you have probably spent more time there than I have. My daughter has taken over the daily management of the shop, freeing up my time for summer camp work, teaching, preaching, counseling, hauling, furniture distribution, helping people move, hospital visitation and, of course, answering the dozens of texts, emails and phone calls we receive daily requesting the same information that we have already posted on Facebook, our website, our voicemail, Googlemaps and our store front.

Moving forward, I don't expect to get to spend much time working at the thrift store. There are some things I am really going to miss. There are some things, I am happy to let someone else handle.

I am going to miss the customers. I will miss chatting with the regulars, and telling our story to the newcomers. I will miss the look of utter confusion on the faces of out-of-towners as we try to explain our absurd business model. I will miss praying with people and then later hearing how God answered prayers; I will miss helping people, and then later seeing them return to help others; I will miss the additional revenue that the charity gets because of my honed ability to wield Jewish guilt. Most of all, I will miss seeing the best of the Range -the teachers, pastors, social workers, nurses, friends, family, police officers, business owners, etc. coming in to drop things off or pick things up or rearrange my shelf like they own the place because, in a real way, they do.

What won't I miss? I won't miss trying to figure out what to do with bags of women's pants. I won't miss watching people steal as I try to decide whether I am supposed to care. I won't miss answering questions about our hours or donation policy which, incidentally is posted on Facebook, our website, our voicemail, Googlemaps and our store front. Did I mention the women's pants?

Maybe I can still sneak myself onto the schedule from time to time. Perhaps I throw my back out lifting a couch and get stuck with "light duty" at the shop. The mission statement of "Someone Ought To" is "to find the things that everyone says someone ought to do, and then do those things until someone more competent comes along to do it better." When it comes to running a thrift store, my daughter does it better. Heck, Jered almost does it better! But don't worry, I will still be around to carry the couch or handle the complaints or answer the questions that we have already answered -unless one of you want to do it?

June Expenses:

Rent: $800

Utilities: $483

Vehicle repairs/gas: $444

Charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $220

Total expenses: -$1947

Sales: $4187

Gifts: $780

June Total: $3,020

June deliveries: 20 deliveries, moved 6 people

June mileage: 847

May 2024 Report

I hate rules. They don't work. Posting a sign that says "do not enter" or "no trespassing" does not actually

stop people. You can just walk around those signs.

People will often ask about our policy on donations. I tell them our policy. And then they still drop things off in the rain or after hours or while we are closing because they already loaded the truck or it is "just one bag." "If the policy was so important, why is it only posted three places throughout the shop and on the website and your Facebook page and said 15 times a shift?"

Rules don't change a thing. So why make rules?

The rule-maker is looking for a policy to point at, so they are not responsible. "My hands are tied, thems the rules!" The rule-breaker examines the policy in search of a loophole. "Well, you should have made it more clear! So, since I didn't know, take these 12 analog TVs." Whether it is city ordinances, federal tax codes, MN statutes, mom's rules or God's commandments -the law does not make us behave any different.

What does, however, make us behave different . . . is relationships. It is not my marriage license that keeps me faithful, it is the fact that I really like my wife. At "Someone Ought To," we do not rely on programs or policies. We do not ask for referrals or forms or signatures, because we know people are all a bunch of liars and cheats and are going to do whatever they want. Instead, we believe in relationships. It is our relationship with Jesus that makes us want to serve the community and gives our life meaning. It is our relationships with area churches and other gracious people that keep our charity going. Hopefully, it is your relationship with us that makes you decide that, even though you didn't see an official policy against unloading your flooded basement behind our shop . . . you probably shouldn't -because we are friends.

As a kid, I remember my dad frequently having disconcerting interactions with clearly disturbed people. Whenever my mother would warn my father not to approach the strange man with the overcoat and baseball bat sleeping on our car or the raving hobo blocking our front door, my dad would always say "It's OK! They are my people and they love me." To which my mom would respond, "Great! I will put that on your tombstone."

I don't know that all of Virginia is "our people." Or, even less, that they love us. But we love them! And we hope that this relationship with Virginia can transcend any public policy. Or at least keep us from being stabbed.

May financial report:

Expenses:

Rent: $800

Utilities: $703

Vehicle expenses/gas: $294

Charitable giving: $147

Total expenses: $1994

Sales: $4689

Gifts: $130

May income: $2825

May deliveries: 3400 pounds hauled, 25 deliveries, moved 6 people

May mileage: 925

April 2024 Report

The hardest part about managing "Jackie's Attic" and "Someone Ought To" is deciding exactly how much to let people steal from you. Usually it is just little thefts, people saying they don't have money to pay for clothes, when they clearly can afford cigarettes or booze or meth. Sometimes it is a little more overt. The other day a lady tried to sneak out the front door with an armload of clothes. When confronted, she said it is OK, because she does this all the time and is going through menopause. When I asked what that was supposed to mean she said I need to Google it. Often the crimes are little more extreme. Recently we fully furnished the home of a family only to see all the furniture for sale on Facebook Marketplace. (I offered to buy back our stolen futon. The seller has not yet responded.)

A case can be made for pressing charges and fighting evil wherever it may be found. As they say, all it takes for wickedness to prevail is for good men to do nothing. An argument can also be made for "turning the other cheek" and "giving your tunic" to the one who "demands your cloak." In all honesty, I have no idea how best to handle the many awful things we encounter in our efforts to help. We have been accused, and perhaps rightly so, of enabling wickedness. Some have suggested that by not putting up cameras or pressing charges or holding people to higher standards, our charitable work has become "toxic" and the wicked are no better off for it. They are probably right. But we are not here for the wicked. We are here to show the love of Jesus. Just as God causes the rain to fall on the good and bad alike, we aim to be indiscriminately gracious, regardless of how it will be received. If our Master gave His life for sinners, the least we can do is give up our pants.

If you remain determined to steal from us, we probably won't stop you. Just be warned: shoplifters will be prayed for. And, if you are not careful, perhaps even prayed with.

Expenses:

Rent: $800

Utilities: $1022

Vehicle expenses/gas: $279

Taxes: $1127

Charitable giving: $1012

Renovation expenses: $100

Total expenses: $4340

Sales: $5061

Gifts: $976

Credit refund: $216

April income: $1913

April deliveries: 4280 pounds hauled, 29 deliveries, moved 26 people

April mileage: 703

March 2024 Report

One of the principles that guide the operations of “Jackie's Attic” is that “nothing gets thrown away.” This is not just because I am too lazy to carry the garbage around to the dumpster in the back. This is because everything has some value to someone. Put a box of broken picture frames or soiled t-shirts in the back of the shop . . . and, eventually, someone will take them. I don't know what they do with them. I don't want to know what they do with them. But they say “thanks” and happily carry away what we should have long since thrown away. We don't always have the space to store everything, we rarely have the time to sort or display everything. But whatever it is, if it can be found, someone wants it.

Recently, we have been on a mission to salvage a far more valuable overlooked commodity: people. Every day customers walk into our shop looking for the elusive treasure -a rare book, an antique hutch, a cast iron skillet- all the while failing to notice that the only truly valuable things in the shop is the other customers. Virginia is filled with people sitting around, like a pile of unwanted women's blouses, just waiting for the right fit. Well, at “Jackie's Attic,” we are determined to find the right fit. Regardless of your interests, skills or scars, we can use you. Much of the cleaning, sorting, selling, hauling, ministering, funding, praying and organizing at the shop is done by people who were helped by the shop.

If you need something, you may or may not find it at “Jackie's Attic.” But if you need to be useful, I guarantee we have it in stock. So come on by and take out the trash! Because we all know I'm not going to.

March Expenses:

Rent: $800

Utilities: $805

Vehicle expenses/gas: $285

Taxes: $6209

Charitable giving: $730

Electrician: 776

Renovation expenses: $831

Total expenses: $10,436

Sales: $4566

Gifts: $266

March income: $4832

Jackie's Attic March total: -$5604

March deliveries: 3820 pounds hauled, 16 deliveries, moved 17 people

March mileage: 1342

February 2024 Report

It has been said, cynically, “No good deed goes unpunished.” This is untrue. There are many good deeds that have been done anonymously or have slipped by unnoticed or unappreciated. But, if you happen to get caught doing a good deed, yes, you will be punished. Help someone move, and eventually you will be moving their friends and family as well. Feed the poor, and the poor will keep coming. Deliver a couch, for free, to a complete stranger who is on a weight-lifting restriction and lives in a 3rd floor apartment with “tricky” hallways and no elevator . . . and expect to get threatening texts for the next two weeks because the couch has a scuff mark.

So why ever leave your own couch? Because everything in this world of any value can only be attained through sacrifice. This belief is at the core of the gospel of Jesus and the mission of “Someone Ought To.” Speaking as a man who has spent a lot of time on couches, and a lot of time under couches, regardless of any judgment, resentment and spinal misalignment -no contest . . . under is better.

As we find ourselves in the season of Lent, a time marked by sacrifice, may you find true joy and blessing by taking up your cross, or someone else's couch, and following Jesus.

February expenses:

Rent: $800

Utilities: $1468

Vehicle expenses: $304

Charitable giving: $1804

Volunteer expenses:

Building expenses: $152

Garbage: $10

Total expenses: $4538

Sales: $4758

Gifts: $474

Jackie's Attic February total: $694

Jackie's Attic Current balance: $11,461

Someone Ought To Current balance: $5,167

February deliveries: 2770 pounds hauled, 13 deliveries, moved 10 people

February mileage: 468

January 2024 Report

When we first came up with the ridiculous scheme of running a "set your own price" thrift store, we aimed to lose about $6,000 a year, go bankrupt after two years, and then move on to something less absurd. We missed. Instead, two years later, we have been blessed with thousands of customers (some that have even paid!), hundreds of supporters and community partners, dozens of volunteers, a dilapidated building and a moving truck. Sure, we still get the occasional Google review that will compare our shop to the smell of armpits, but otherwise I am calling this project a "win."

I often wonder what I am doing here. I have no business acumen, interest in retail or understanding of fashion. I can't fix anything. I have a bad back. I have no sense of direction. I can't parallel park. I should not be running a business or renovating a building or, for the love of humanity, allowed anywhere near a moving truck. So why me?

It is true that I don't know how to do anything. But one thing I do know, is that I don't know how to do anything. This puts me in a perfect place to live in the grace of God and man. As we enter into our second full year of operations, we want to thank you all for your support and partnership. And for those of you that I am about to accidentally cut off as I poorly navigate the streets of Virginia . . . we thank you for your patience and grace.

Jackie's Attic January Expenses*:

Rent: $800

Utilities: $985

Gas: $479

Charitable distributions: $729 (food cards, gas cards, assistance with automotive repairs, meals/food, volunteers' discretionary giving/spending, etc.)

Building expenses: $568

Garbage/dump fees: $584

Grant Application fees: $500

Taxes: $1275 (quarterly sales tax included)

Insurance: $1051 (annual, mandated)

Total January Expenses: $6,971

Jackie's Attic January Sales: $4,989

Financial Gifts Received: $166

Jackie's Attic January total: -$1816

Jackie's Attic Current balance: $10,767**

"Someone Ought To": Purchase of truck -$10,000

"Someone Ought To" Current balance: $5,167**

January miles driven: 1308

January deliveries: approximately 14,000 pounds hauled, 21 deliveries, moved 9 people