Out & About

By Colleen Gundlach

Anyone who has participated in fundraising for a non-profit organization knows what a challenge it can be to find the perfect method for raising money. Bake sales, wine tastings and house tours have all been tried. While no one method is perfect, Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Connecticut seems to have found its solicitation solution in its This ‘n’ That store, located on Route 7 in Canaan.

Several years ago, John Pogue, then a member of the Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors, had a dream to open a resale shop to benefit the Habitat affiliate, which builds or reconditions homes for low-income people. The group had operated highly successful tag sales on an annual basis for some time, but it wasn’t until Lynn Nania of Canaan told Pogue about a building available for rent on the Geer Village property on High Street, that the store became a reality. This building, supplied rent-free for the first year, was the home of This ‘n’ That for five and a half years. 

The store, which is stocked completely through donations and staffed solely by volunteers, soon outgrew the two rooms in the Geer building. Just after Canaan Railroad Days last July, Habitat moved its flagship store to a new location on Ashley Falls Road. This building is two stories high, and the stock of This ‘n’ That fills every inch of the space. 

“Having the new building has allowed us to expand our offerings to include furniture and other bigger pieces,” says Store Manager Judi Moore. The variety of furnishings ranges from a small child’s table and chair, to a full dining set, and everything in between. Many pieces are antique quality, including a Hoosier cabinet, a Singer treadle sewing machine and two lift-top schoolhouse desks. 

Since moving to the new location and adding furniture offerings, this mercantile endeavor has become quite fiscally sound. Moore reports that the store raised $4,800 between January and July of 2011 and, after the move on July 23, it grossed $29,000 by year-end. 

Habitat for Humanity Board Member Erick Olsen says, “It has been very exciting to see the success of the new location. Judi Moore has done outstanding work in advocating for this new site and with the full support of the board in its willingness to risk relocating, this change is bearing some great fruit. Not only is the store bringing in much more income to enable us to build decent and affordable homes, but the store also makes it possible for gently used items to find new homes. Truly, this is a win-win scenario.”

Moore has lived in the area since 1958. She opened This ‘n’ That in December of 2005 and has been the only manager to date. She was working full time at Housatonic Valley Regional High when the store first opened, so it was originally just a weekend enterprise. When Moore retired from teaching in 2009, she expanded the hours.  With help from fellow volunteers Peg Magyar and Carol Fecheteler, she now keeps the store open Thursdays through Sundays, and by chance. “If you see the gray Honda in the parking lot, I’m here,” says Moore with a smile, “so come on in, seven days a week.”             

Habitat for Humanity Northwest Connecticut, founded in 1990, is a non-profit ecumenical Christian housing organization, which has built low-income housing in Cornwall, Salisbury and Falls Village, and is seeking land in Sharon for another home.  Its current project is a home on Route 44 East in Canaan. Construction of a Habitat-sponsored house on Old Colony Road in Norfolk is expected to begin once the Canaan project is completed.