ASHLEY TERRY
Some might say it’s a stretch to suggest retail therapy could end up saving lives — but that’s actually not too far from the truth when it comes to Azle’s Attic Rerun Resale Shop.
Since the early 1980s, this simple boutique has served not only as a one-of-a-kind hidden gem for affordable bargains but also as a fundraiser for Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Azle.
Located at 714 Southeast Parkway, the shop — run by volunteers and members of the Texas Health Resources Hospital Auxiliary Azle — collects donations from the community, which are then resold at discounted prices.
“Everything is donated and our prices are very, very reasonable — lower than anybody else’s,” Barbara Pace, public relations specialist for the hospital auxiliary, told The Azle News. “We always get the comment that it looks more like a boutique-type store than just a resale shop.”
With prices ranging from $1 to the rare $15 for normally high-end or expensive items, the Attic offers something for everyone, including books, clothing, kitchenware and decor — everything except large appliances, furniture and children’s toys.
All proceeds are funneled directly back into Texas Health Azle, helping to fund equipment and resources that fall outside the hospital’s regular budget.
“We do whatever the hospital needs that it can’t budget for within a certain limit,” Mary Fonville, treasurer-secretary of the auxiliary board, explained. “We have a certain amount of funds, but we do buy equipment for the hospital. We bought chairs for the patient rooms, we managed to buy a new portable X-ray machine, we bought a new EKG machine and the SoftTouch mammography machine.”
In an article previously published by The Azle News, it was reported that funds raised through the auxiliary’s efforts have also supported major hospital improvements, including a $100,000 remodel of the hospital lobby and registration area, surgical equipment and upgrades like drills and autoclaves, and a cardiac telemetry system. The auxiliary also paid for an automatic door opener for radiology and funded nearly $100,000 in scholarships for local high school students pursuing medical careers.
Described as the hospital’s “main moneymaker,” Pace said the Attic can earn up to $700 a day and raises about $25,000 annually.
“The auxiliary as a whole is appreciated so much by the hospital,” Mary Dement said, who oversees nominations for the board.
While the auxiliary’s main purpose is to help fund needs for Texas Health Resources, Fonville said part of what keeps them going as volunteers is knowing the giving doesn’t stop at the hospital doors.
“We’ve gotten a couple of people who have come in, and their houses had burned down, so they’ll come in and get clothes and little appliances and things to help them start off,” Fonville said. “The Good N.E.W.S. program, there have been times when they have had clients who were in desperate need of clothes and we’ve been able to donate the clothes … We give back to the community as much as we can and our customers love it.”
Dement said her favorite part about being a volunteer is knowing every item in the store is reasonably priced, which allows customers to buy nice things for a small amount of money.
“One lady told me that if we weren’t here, she would never be able to buy anything for herself — we have a lot of new things that people donate — because all she gets is Social Security,” she said. “They come and they tell us this is their therapy because they can’t get out. They’re older people, so this is a place where they can go.”
Quoting the sign that’s hanging up in the store, Pace said, “Life is too short to wear boring clothes,” and explained how several individuals have donated designer dresses, wedding gowns and jewelry to the shop.
“Sometimes we’ll have men’s tuxedos and men’s suits, so if you’re going on a cruise and you need to dress up, you could just come in here,” Pace said.
While she does get surprised sometimes to find out that a high-priced item has been donated, Pace said her favorite part is when dresses become outdated because that means they can then be sold for a dollar — which oftentimes leads to a grand donated gesture from the Attic volunteers themselves.
“If dresses don’t sell for the dollar, normally what I would do is pass them out for the kids who will be going to the national event in February, Night to Shine,” Pace said.
Night to Shine is a prom-night experience specifically for teens and young adults with special needs and is hosted annually by local churches on the Friday before Valentine’s Day. Pace explained that she worked the event in Azle last year and greeted a prom attendee who had received one of the dresses from the Attic.
“She must have taken it and had it altered, but it was one of the most beautiful gowns,” she said. “The lady who donated the gowns told me they paid $400 apiece. I was just so happy … That’s what keeps me going.”
Although many donations have been rare and priceless finds — like original artworks valued at more than $1,000 apiece — there have been some donations that have left the Attic volunteers a little puzzled.
“There’ve been a number of things we couldn’t figure out what they were, and we turned it this way and then that way. There was one that was a bench that had a whole cut out like a horseshoe and you could put your head in there and then do a head stand,” Pace said, chuckling.
Despite the occasional odd donation, Pace said the auxiliary appreciates every item it receives from customers. However, she said what they’d like more than anything is more volunteers.
“The auxiliary has about 200 members, but we only have about 35 volunteers,” she said. “Before COVID, we had volunteers who served as greeters at the front door of the hospital and we had volunteers who worked in the office, but COVID kind of threw a wrench in that plan. When people were off for that length of time, many of them just didn’t come back. The staff meetings used to be full. I remember we had 15 and now it’s down to eight.”
The Attic Rerun Resale Shop is open for customers from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Donation drop-offs are also accepted on those days as well as Mondays and Thursdays.
Pace added she wants to encourage the community to visit the Attic if they haven’t yet, as their purchases and donations benefit not only the hospital but the community as well.
“It’s what keeps me going every time my alarm goes off at 7 o’clock on a Monday. I go, ‘Why am I doing this?’ and then I get here and remember why,” she said. “It feels good.”
To volunteer for the auxiliary or to help with the Attic, visit texashealth.org/volunteer.
