Fourth of July 2023 Issue

Something for Everyone at New Hope Thrift Shop
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
Photos by Karen Fucito
The parking lot of the Milton United
Methodist Church on the corner of
Milton and Dover Milton Roads was jampacked,
except there was no service, unless
you count the customer service inside the New
Hope Thrift Shop.
It was barely noon on a summer-like
Wednesday in May and a steady stream of
customers filtered in and out of the store,
donating and purchasing—there was lots of
purchasing.
“You can’t come here and not buy something,”
said longtime volunteer Rose Lang, who was
working the register alongside volunteer Joan
DeYoung.
Founded by Jefferson residents Jim
Wildermuth, Dottie Leonard and Carol Robins,
New Hope opened its historic doors to the
public in 2014, six years after the church
decommissioned the 1824 chapel and after the
construction of its new church was completed
at the other end of the parking lot.
“The thrift shop had been in people’s
thoughts for some time, but we had no place
to put it,” said Leonard.
Lang and DeYoung are just two in a pool
of about 20 dedicated volunteers who pour
their hearts into keeping the New Hope Thrift
Shop and its customers humming along. Many
volunteers are members of the Milton United
Methodist Church or represent other churches
in town.
The “build it and they will come” adage
applies here, as the customers keep on coming
and coming back for more, particularly the
hard-core thrifters.
“We’ll have people come several times a day,”
said Wildermuth.
According to Leonard, Wildermuth was
instrumental in transforming the vacated church
building into a thriving thrift store—and in the
record time of about a week, to boot. “All of
the shelving that looks like new wood—that’s
all Jim,” she said. “As we needed more room, he
would come up with it.”
That includes the overflow outside: A large
tent on the lawn houses everything from
kitchenware to furniture to sporting goods. A
row of tables is covered with piles of clothes
and large framed artwork is displayed at the
base of two storage sheds.
Inside, the store takes on a micro department
store-like setup as items are categorized and
placed accordingly into sections that include
clothing, accessories, housewares, toys and
games. There’s even a mixed media section
complete with old-school CDs and DVDs and,
of course, books.
Customers with their hands full but who still
want to continue shopping can stash their finds
into individual cubbies mounted on a wall next
to the checkout area.
Adjacent to the toy section and behind
the scenes, several volunteers serve as quality
control monitors, tackling bags and boxes full
of new donations and pricing them accordingly.
“Prices are set to move [items],” said board
member Barbara Horacek. “So, they’re priced a
little less.”
Exhibit A: a woven picnic basket in perfect
condition ticketed for a mere $3.
“You never know what you’re going to find.
It’s always different,” said Wildermuth. “Where
else can you go buy a pair of pants for $2—
brand new ones with tags still on them.”
The proceeds from sales directly benefit
the church—while the store itself benefits
the entire community. This is exactly what the
founders had in mind during the planning phase.
“We wanted to donate to the community
and help local people,” Wildermuth said.
The volunteers have built mutually beneficial
relationships with organizations including the
Jefferson Township Historical Society, which
serves as instant beneficiaries of historical
items that have made their way into the store
as donations.
“We have three women volunteers who
belong to the historical society, so we put things
aside for them,” Leonard said. Those items are
used in the Jefferson Township Museum or sold
in the museum’s shop.
Exhibit B: on this recent Wednesday, the
historical society was about to inherit a glass
keepsake dated July 1863 and etched with
“Made in Gettysburg” to drive the authenticity
home.
Also of historical interest was the
donation of a 100-year-old Lake
Hopatcong Yacht Club trophy. “We
gave it to the commodore, and he
was very happy,” Leonard said.
The reciprocal relationship with
the community also fans out to
Jefferson Township High School,
specifically special needs students
who pitch in weekly to straighten up.
New Hope is also the go-to
destination for costumes and props
for school plays.
From top to bottom, left
to right: Shoppers browse
through shelves and racks
looking for treasures. Mary
Parr, Lynda MacDonald
and Barbara Motchan
sort through new arrivals.
Founding members Dottie
Leonard and Jim Wildermuth
with board member Barbara
Horacek. Antonia Pavlova
contemplates purchasing a
set of chimes.
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fourth of July 2023