Uhrichsville Browse & Buy celebrates 3 years of service

The need for a store that provided inexpensive used clothing and household and healthcare items in Uhrichsville led to Community Hospice, a nonprofit agency, opening a Browse & Buy store in the former Twin City Hardware store. The store is located at 223 N. Water St. in Uhrichsville.

“We didn’t really have any place here to shop, and this has brought in a lot of business,” said Kay Miller, who has managed the store since it opened in April 2018. They did close the store last year from March to August due to COVID-19, but business is picking up again.

With a 2,080-square-foot sales area, the store helps its customers by providing affordable items, and the proceeds from the store go to help those in need of hospice services. The organization not only provides end-of-life care, but also respite care services.

The staff is especially pleased the store can help others who are stuck at home during the pandemic.

“With people not getting out, books, puzzles and games were selling well,” said Holly Flickinger, operations manager for all the Browse & Buy stores including the Dover and Carrollton stores. “It’s something that their families could do all together. We sell puzzles for a dollar and games for $2.”

The store’s customers also bring in donations. The store accepts clean and sellable items including furniture during their open hours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Community Hospice currently has five office locations in Tuscarawas, Stark, Carroll, Columbiana and Coshocton counties and the Truman House in New Philadelphia, which provides direct care to patients. Home health aides also provide home care to patients.

“Not all hospice organizations are nonprofit,” Miller said. “When our patients have depleted their resources, they’re still able to get hospice care.”

Prior to COVID-19, one of the most important services Community Hospice provided was experiences to enrich the lives of its patients.

“One of our patients really loved making Thanksgiving dinner every single year for her family, and it was a huge affair for her,” said Kirstin Weaver, Community Hospice marketing manager. “Our kitchen staff put together a full Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings and invited the family so they could have one last celebration together.”

Other experiences they provided were to a woman who had never attended a prom. They got her a dress and set up a prom for her.

Another patient loved horseback riding.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get her on the horse with her condition, but it was still nice to be around the horses,” Weaver said. “We sent a photographer out to create those lasting memories for her and her family.”

Other activities provided are massage therapy and, on hold due to the pandemic, music and art activities. The organization also provided a bereavement camp for children prior to the pandemic at Wanake Camp and Retreat Center in Beach City.

“It’s a four-day camp, it’s just wonderful and it’s very well organized,” Flickinger said, adding Community Hospice staff will do what they can to ensure the children are able to attend, from providing transportation to giving the family gas cards for the trip.

The Browse & Buy stores are mostly run by volunteers, and they are needed at all three Browse & Buy locations. Volunteers may work as little as three hours each week, and the store will work around one’s schedule.

“If you are usually scheduled for Thursdays but want to come in on a Friday, that’s fine,” Miller said.

As a perk, volunteers always receive double stamps on the Browse & Buy customer loyalty card. Volunteers typically help with whatever jobs they are comfortable doing including sorting donations, pricing, restocking and running the cash register.

Prior to the pandemic, other organizations that have helped at the store include Y.E.S. (Youth Employment Services) and Stepping Stone Services. High school students needing volunteer hours also are welcome.

The store also has volunteers who like to sew and perform minor repairs on clothing that is donated. Another volunteer does floral arrangements.

With three stores Flickinger can move merchandise around to the other stores if they are low on certain items like children’s clothes.

With the community providing the store with items to sell, they also are able to help others in the community. They provide free clothing to those in need at the Friends of the Homeless shelter and others.

“If people have had a fire, we can take care of them. We will have them come in and get what they need if they need clothing or bedding or anything like that,” Miller said. “We’ve taken care of people that walked in the store with no coat on. We had a guy come in not too long ago, and he didn’t have a hat or gloves. He was freezing, so we let him go back and get some gloves and a hat.”

When medical equipment like wheelchairs and walkers is donated, the store staff always checks with the Community Hospice aides and nurses to see if any families need that equipment.

Tuesday is Double Stamp Day at the Browse & Buy stores, and in addition to the loyalty card, the store offers regular sales. To follow the deals, go to their Facebook page, Browse & Buy - Community Hospice.

“We change the color of tickets each week. There is basically a sale every single week,” Weaver said.

The Tax-Free Week sale is scheduled for April 12-17, and customers can save 6.75% off their purchases, excluding healthcare items and furniture. Tickets also are available for a quilt raffle to raise money to purchase a new shed for the Dover location.

To donate, items must be clean, in sellable condition and brought into the store during open hours. Items that cannot be accepted are mattresses, bed pillows, broken/nonworking items or appliances and soiled items. Clothes should not be on hangers and placed in bags. Household items such as dishes, bowls, canister sets and small appliances are needed now.

When you are cleaning out your home, keep the Browse & Buy stores in mind.

“We won’t turn away anything as long as it’s in good condition,” Miller said.