AMHERST — Alison Annes discovered the Hospice Shop of the Fisher Home about a decade ago when she moved to the region from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and found herself in need of a wardrobe upgrade for a colder climate.
The Pelham resident found the thrift shop’s selection of clothing, including lightly used designer name clothes, shoes and accessories, so good that it became a place she would drop by at least twice a week to browse.
So when the shop that is the fundraising arm for the Fisher Home in North Amherst closed at the outset of the pandemic, Annes, like many regulars, was among those who missed visiting the place where she could buy clothes, housewares and other items.
It’s also why she was on board a short time later when the shop launched an online store for its initial comeback as a way to offer customers a safe shopping experience.
“I have to say I love the online store,” Annes says. “Things come in daily, and I found I buy more online than I did in person.”
The online store has become an essential component of the Hospice Shop, which opened in 2008 and moved across the street to its 6 University Drive site in 2018. It will stay part of the store, even as in-person shopping resumes.
“We launched the online shop to stay connected,” said Ali Diamond, the shop’s director. “It was a total experiment, and we had no idea what to expect.”
What they have found is that the idea conceived by Leslie Lucio, one of four team members, has been remarkable. “We thought it would do good. It’s actually done better,” Lucio said.
“Everything else was going online and it was like so many businesses, it was about building a bridge to being open more,” Lucio said.
Under Lucio’s stewardship, items are put online throughout the day, that like the physical store means an ever-changing selection.
“The thrill of the hunt is now going online,” Lucio said.
About 500 to 600 items are listed at a time.
“What customers love about the shop is they never know what they will find,” Diamond said. “We’ve tried to transfer that to the online experience.”
“It’s much more labor-intensive to sell online, and we wanted to try to mimic the shopping experience in store,” Diamond said.
The fulfillment center, as they have dubbed it, includes shelves with the online inventory that is separate from what will be put in the retail store. For every order that is placed online, Lucio gets these ready within 24 hours, placing items in paper bags on a shelf with names of those who have bought the merchandise.
Getting items posted on the online store is also Lucio’s responsibility. She takes each item into a room with natural light, such as gold-plate platter or a vase made from wood, then takes pictures, with a yardstick and apple nearby to show the size. A description is then written and a price is attached.
The online shop has meant accessibility and an attempt to get back to normal after the store closed on March 13, 2020. After the online shop was created, the physical store reopened in September 2020.
“Thankfully we have a lot of volunteers who’ve been here since the store opened,” Diamond said.
The retail store has restored its 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours, except Fridays and Saturdays, when it is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., while closed on Thursdays and Sundays.
The shop requires everyone inside to wear masks, a rule that coincides with that at the Fisher Home. That helped reassure both volunteers and customers, Diamond said.
Maryann Reno of South Hadley is one who has returned as a volunteer. “When Ali called to say we’re open again, I never even hesitated to say yes,” Reno said. “It’s a great place to be.”
Curbside and contactless pickup remain available.
“We’ve wanted to reach as many people as we can through the store,” Diamond said. “This is the busiest month (March) we’ve had since before March 2020.”
To people who are intentional about both their shopping and donation habits, Hospice means a connection to the concept of dignity for all.
“Shopping here is like making a donation. We have a very dedicated customer base,” Diamond said. “We feel very lucky. We feel a part of the community.”