Wallowa resale shop steps up to the plate

Published 7:00 am Monday, August 22, 2022

WALLOWA — Joining with other businesses and individuals to step up and help in the current emergency in Wallowa, the Wallowa Community Resale Store is expanding its hours with the help of volunteers.

“We’re only able to do that because of the generosity of the community in donating their stuff,” owner Deborrah Reth said.

The Resale Store, which sells a wide variety of second-hand clothing, household goods, books and other items, may have just what Wallowa residents need after the storm that pummeled the town with hail and wind Aug. 11. The hail broke windows on nearly every west-facing side of Wallowa’s buildings, sending shards of glass inside and across beds and other furniture.

Mayor Gary Hulse has recommended that residents replace such furniture rather than trying to excise the glass and continue to use it.

Although the Resale Store doesn’t have beds — there’s just not room — it does have bedding and pillows. It also can serve as a clearinghouse for people who have such items to donate. They can call the shop and Reth or one of the volunteers who is helping can help match up donor and recipient.

“A lot of people are still assessing what their losses are,” Reth said.

She said she was fortunate in that the shop has no west-facing window

With a new school year just around the corner, parents also can come into get school clothes for their kids. That comes in handy for those whose cars were damage by the hail.

“There are people who don’t have cars to go to La Grande to get school clothes,” she said.

A major change at the Resale Store is that during the emergency, it’s staying open all week long. Normally it’s open Thursday through Saturday, but now it’s open Monday through Wednesday, as well, Reth said.

“We’re open all week for anybody who needs to replace their damaged things,” she said.

“The county needs this,” said Hilary Miller, one of the many volunteers helping stretch the Resale Store’s hours.

Reth, who has run the the Resale Store for about 10 years, has been doing well since the pandemic, particularly since it has wound down.

“Last winter, we were so busy because people needed to shop coming out of the pandemic,” she said.

Who: Deborrah Reth

What: Second-hand shop

Where: Highway 82 and Pine Street, Wallowa

Phone: 541-398-0137

Email: deborrahreth@gmail.com