December 2024
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Numbers are concrete and objective . . . but they can also be misleading. 56% of all statistics are made up. Even worse, 1/3 of all people are confused by half of the figures almost 80% percent of the time. This year we have helped 118 people move . . . but what does that really mean? When I give a homeless guy a ride to the woods, does that count as helping him move? This year we gave away over 80 beds and delivered several hundred pieces of furniture, but there is a big difference between dropping off a twin mattress on my way home from work, and hauling an adjustable bed to Hoyt Lakes. Still, both count as “delivered bed.” The figures don't tell the story. On paper, I drove 10,468 miles for the charity this year. Some of those miles were acquired during a lovely trip I took with my daughter to St. Cloud to deliver a truckload of surplus clothing to a resource center. Some of those miles represent an afternoon of helping an angry cat lady move to Hibbing -personally carrying everything she had up 3 flights of stairs, with the exception the cats, their dander and her body odor, all of which may still be lingering in my truck.
When I look at the numbers of 2024, it does not seem possible that in only 365 days we were able to give, deliver, move, feed, help, haul, assist, store, build, buy and fix as much as we did. But when I look at the mess of our storage building . . . and our vehicles . . . and our bank account . . . and my back . . . it feels like it was a lot more than 250 pickups/deliveries.
On paper, by the numbers, 2024 was a great year. Of course, the value of our work and mission is not in the numbers of how many homes we furnished for free (105) or meals we provided (550) or different community organizations we sourced (59). Rather, we find our validation through intangibles like hope, love, faith, joy and glory. So, in terms of these abstract qualities, how did we do this year?
When I am contacted by a social worker and asked if I will help drive a sociopath and his couch to Duluth, I crunch the numbers. I estimate how many miles it will be, how much time it will take, how much money it will cost us. I can even guess the weight of the couch and know with certainty, on paper, that agreeing to such a job is a terrible use of our resources. And yet, by every metric that counts -love, joy, patience, glory and grace the trip is a “slam dunk.”
On paper, by the numbers, “Someone Ought To” and “Jackie's Attic” had it's best year so far! And yet it is because of the foolish ventures and ill-advised projects that look so silly on paper, that the year was worth the while. We thank the LORD for the grace of another year, and may 2025 make even less sense by the numbers.​​​
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Expenses:
Rent: $900
Utilities: $1057
Vehicle insurance: $628
gas: $102
taxes and fees: $150
charitable giving: $749
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Total expenses: $3586
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Sales: $3191
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Gifts: $395
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December Total: $0
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Deliveries: 14 deliveries, helped 10 people move, furnished 16 homes,
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Mileage: 284
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Year End Totals:
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Balance: $11,152
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2024 mileage: 10,468
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-fully furnished 105 families, helped move 118 people, hauled over 62,000 pounds, provided over 550 meals
Organizations that we have partnered with in 2024:
Accra
ACT Team
AEOA, Virginia
AEOA, Hibbing Shelter
Approve Plumbing
Aurora Food Shelf
Aurora Essentia Nursing Home
Bethel, Duluth
Bethesda Church
Bible Read-a-thon
Bill's House
Biwabik Covenant
CAPE Coalition
Cedar Rapids Bible Chapel
Elk's Club
Essentia Health, Aurora
Essentia Health, Virginia
First Covenant Church, Virginia
Fortune Bay
Foster Care
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Habitat for Humanity
HRA
Lakeview
Labor Union
Legacy Church
Marquette
New Journey Nursing Home
NHS
Northeast Bible Chapel
Northstar Church
Our Savior's Lutheran
Park View School
Partner's in Recovery
People Helping People
Pine Mill Court
Rachel's Thrift Store
Range of Hearts
Range Mental Health
Range Transitional Housing
Regional Playhouse
Residential Services Incorporated
Rockwell Church
Rock Ridge School
Ruby's Pantry
Salvation Army
St. Louis County Social Workers
St. Louis County Community Health Programming
Tower Food Shelf
True Hope Fellowship
Twelve Step House
United Way
Virginia Bible Chapel
Virginia Essentia Nursing Home
Virginia Green House
Waterview Pines Nursing Home
Wellstone Center
Youth Foyer, Virginia
Youth For Christ
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November 2024 Report
Recently we have had a lot of loyal customers share concerns about the new Goodwill that has opened up in Virginia, MN. They are afraid that this new thrift store, with their superior products, established infrastructure and navigatable pricing structure will put us out of business. We want to set everyone's mind at ease . . . we are comfortable with going out of business.
Part of our initial business plan was to go out of business. We sat down, crunched the numbers, and set a projection of two years. The reason we are still in business three years later is because we are useful. We suspect that as long as we continue to serve as a useful resource to the Kingdom of Heaven and the city of Virginia, both will have reason to keep us around. That being said, we have noticed a drop in revenue since the new Goodwill opened up. There has been an increase in foot traffic from the homeless shelter, treatment centers and residents of local subsidized housing -but, unfortunately, people without money don't pay much.
So, in order to compete with Goodwill, we have decided to enact the following changes at “Jackie's Attic:”
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Effective immediately, there will be a 15 percent increase in charges on all of our free products and services.
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In order to save on utility expenses, at least one light or radiator will be broken at all times.
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While we do not have the staffing to open on weekends, we will continue to have customers call me all day, every Saturday.
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Since we are a nonprofit, and don't actually have prices, we are going to try to stop paying sales tax. I don't know how this works with the IRS. At the very least, I expect that doing time in a federal prison will save us a lot of money on gas.
If these changes don't work, as a last resort, we may have to consider the Goodwill strategy of giving our CEO an annual six-figure compensation.
Either way, we want everyone to know that we are not in competition with Goodwill or any other charity, thrift store or service provider. We are competing against poverty, hunger and depravity -everyone else is on our team. Give them your money, donate your stuff, utilize their resources. And if, there is still a need for us -come on by “Jackie's Attic.” It looks like we will still be there.
​
Expenses:​
Rent: $900
Utilities: $768
Vehicle expenses/gas: $250
Roof: $15,000
Repairs and maintenance: $33
Thanksgiving meal, charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $1916
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Total expenses: $18867
​
Sales: $5097
​
Gifts: $750
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Total: -$13020
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Deliveries: 62 deliveries, helped 3 people move, furnished 12 homes,
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Mileage: 645
​
YTD:
​
Current balance: $11,152
2024 mileage: 10,184
-fully furnished 89 families, helped move 108 people, hauled over 61,000 pounds, provided over 537 meals
Organizations that we have partnered with in 2024:
Accra
ACT Team
AEOA, Virginia
AEOA, Hibbing Shelter
Aurora Food Shelf
Bethel, Duluth
Bethesda Church
Bible Read-a-thon
Bill's House
Biwabik Covenant
Cedar Rapids Bible Chapel
Elk's Club
Essentia Health, Aurora
Essentia Health, Virginia
First Covenant Church, Virginia
Fortune Bay
Foster Care
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
HRA
Lakeview
Labor Union
Legacy Church
Marquette
NHS
Northeast Bible Chapel
Northstar Church
Our Savior's Lutheran
Park View School
Partner's in Recovery
Pine Mill Court
Rachel's Thrift Store
Range of Hearts
Range Mental Health
Range Transitional Housing
Regional Playhouse
Residential Services Incorporated
Rockwell Church
Rock Ridge School
Ruby's Pantry
Salvation Army
St. Louis County Social Workers
St. Louis County Community Health Programming
Tower Food Shelf
True Hope Fellowship
Twelve Step House
United Way
Virginia Bible Chapel
Virginia Green House
Wellstone Center
Youth Foyer (Virginia)
Youth For Christ
October 2024 Report
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Say goodbye to “Jackie's Attic!” OK, not exactly. Recently we were able to transfer all the assets of “Jackie's
Attic, LLC” to the 501C3 “Someone Ought To.” Although this does not change anything for how we operate, it is kind of a big deal to us.
​
I am no longer a business owner. It was never my dream to run a small business . . . but I liked the prestige and creativity of being an entrepreneur. When the government hears that you own a business, they roll out the red carpet hoping to get your money. When they hear you run a non-profit, they hide in the shadows trying to keep their money. As a family-owned and run organization, “Jackie's Attic” was perhaps the only Jewish/Christian/black/female owned business on the Iron Range.
It is a little sad to no longer own 217 Chestnut. I envisioned spending my life renovating the 16,000 square foot diamond in the rough in the heart of downtown Virginia. I loved the idea of knocking down walls, maybe installing a fireman's pole. I wanted the building to be a legacy I could pass on to my children in the hopes that
one of them would, one day, make it all the way down that one creepy hallway.
It was nice, at least on paper, to have money. Although we never accessed the funds for private use, it was fun to have control of a bank account that had money in it.
But now, officially, we have nothing. In the eyes of the IRS we are, again, poor. At any moment the board of directors can execute their coup, take the keys, and leave the Triestman family with no stake in any of it. To some, the thought of having no real ownership might be unsettling. To us, it is amazing to consider that we have been able to give up so much more than we have ever actually had.
One of the sayings that we have at the thrift store is that “no one ever really buys anything, they just rent it.” They may give us money for something and take it home but, eventually, every plastic Christmas tree and chipped coffee mug will find its way back. Ownership is an illusion . . . we are all just borrowing the time and the space and the stuff, in the end it all goes back to the LORD.
May we make the most of it while we have it -feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, housing the sojourner and, if there's time, install a fireman pole.
​
October expenses:
Rent: $900
Utilities: $350
Website: $463
Vehicle expenses/gas: $332
Taxes: $1497
Business cards: $52
Repairs and maintenance: $46
Charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $1375
Food: $186
Total expenses: $5201
Sales: $6627
Gifts: $410
Total: $1836
Deliveries: 23 deliveries, helped 7 people move, furnished 8 homes, hauled over 4200 pounds
Mileage: 948
YTD:
Current balance: $24,172
2024 mileage: 9,539
-fully furnished 89 families, helped move 108 people, hauled over 53,000 pounds, provided over 387 meals
Organizations that we have partnered with in 2024:
Accra
AEOA, Virginia
AEOA, Hibbing Shelter
Aurora Food Shelf
Bethel, Duluth
Bethesda Church
Bible Read-a-thon
Bill's House
Biwabik Covenant
Cedar Rapids Bible Chapel
Elk's Club
Essentia Health, Aurora
Essentia Health, Virginia
First Covenant Church, Virginia
Fortune Bay
Foster Care
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
HRA
Lakeview
Labor Union
NHS
Northeast Bible Chapel
Northstar Church
Our Savior's Lutheran
Partner's in Recovery
Pine Mill Court
Rachel's Thrift Store
Range of Hearts
Range Mental Health
Range Transitional Housing
Regional Playhouse
Residential Services Incorporated
Ruby's Pantry
Salvation Army
St. Louis County Social Workers
St. Louis County Community Health Programming
Tower Food Shelf
True Hope Church
Twelve Step House
United Way
Virginia Bible Chapel
Virginia Green House
Wellstone Center
Youth Foyer (Virginia)
Youth For Christ
​
September 2024 Report
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I am overwhelmed by the sheer volume. It is too much. All of it.
If you donate a shirt to the thrift store, I can hang it on a rack and sell it for money. But when you give me 40 garbage bags full of clothes, I need to haul them all to storage, throw them on the pile and then take a day off work to drive to the cities to outsource it all. It is just too much.
I am happy to meet with you. I love to talk to you and pray with you and connect you to resources. You are a blessing. But when all of you call me at the same time and leave messages and need me to call back immediately and then show up unannounced with 40 garbage bags of clothes -I love you, but I want to punch someone in the throat because it is too much.
I look at all the work to be done, the donations piling up, the appointments and meetings and projects. All of it is too much! Too many people need help moving. They all need clothes, money, time, housing, food. They all need it now and while I am getting it for them, someone is calling me on the phone and several other people are texting me and they all want to know why I never answer and won't call them back. I have not clocked in at my actual paying job in two weeks. It is too much.
A few weeks ago a group of Christians from the cities came out and reroofed our building. The whole thing. They lost a lot of money on the job. Same as the electrician who came our from Fargo and the local plumbing company that did our heat and water. They served at their own financial loss because they love Jesus. And, I suppose they also love me. That is too much!
This week I received a check. Not the charity . . . they wanted to give a gift to our family. It was way too much.
The work is too much. It doesn't stop. And I hope it doesn't! Because the love, blessing, kindness, community and grace that comes with the work is always overwhelming in its sheer volume.
Expenses:
Rent: $900
Utilities: $350
Vehicle expenses/gas: $362
Repairs and maintenance: $511
Charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $1557
Total expenses: $3817
Sales: $5493
Gifts: $2004
Total: $3680
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Deliveries: 23 deliveries, helped 7 people move, furnished 8 homes, hauled over 4200 pounds
Mileage: 788
​
Current balance: $22,336
​
YTD:
​
2024 mileage: 8539
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-fully furnished 48 families, helped move 98 people, hauled over 45,000 pounds, provided over 375 meals
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Organizations that we have partnered with in 2024:
Accra
AEOA, Virginia
AEOA, Hibbing Shelter
Bethel, Duluth
Bethesda Church
Bible Read-a-thon
Bill's House
Biwabik Covenant
Cedar Rapids Bible Chapel
Elk's Club
Essentia Health, Virginia
First Covenant Church, Virginia
Fortune Bay
Foster Care
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
HRA
Lakeview
Labor Union
NHS
Northeast Bible Chapel
Northstar Church
Our Savior's Lutheran
Partner's in Recovery
Pine Mill Court
Rachel's Thrift Store
Range of Hearts
Range Mental Health
Range Transitional Housing
Regional Playhouse
Residential Services Incorporated
Salvation Army
St. Louis County Social Workers (21)
St. Louis County Community Health Programming
True Hope Church
Twelve Step House
United Way
Virginia Bible Chapel
Virginia Green House
Wellstone Center
Youth Foyer (Virginia)
Youth For Christ
​​
*Jackie's Attic is being absorbed by the 501C3 "Someone Ought To." Any sales, donations or assets accrued by "Jackies Attic" will belong to the charity and be used for its stated purposes.
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August 2024 Report
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Several times a week I am asked about “the Royal.” Sometimes I am asked by customers: “When are you opening up your new store?” Sometimes I am asked by neighbors: “Yesterday I saw several guys in ski masks on the roof of your building. How come you let them in, but not us?” Sometimes I am asked by strangers who just wander right into “The Royal” : “Hey, what happened to all the tables? Never mind, I'll just take a burger 'to go.'”
​
In answer to your many questions and comments . . . I don't know.
Last January we purchased 217 Chestnut St. in Virginia. (You can read about our plan and vision here:
Shortly after purchasing the property, the city council of Virginia unanimously passed an ordinance preventing us from using the location for our thrift store.
Currently the city is permitting the use of 217 Chestnut for storage only. We will continue to renovate the building as we wait for the city to set an occupancy and zone it for public usage.
Although our vision to use this building to improve the landscape of the downtown area and enhance the quality of life for the residents of Virginia has not changed, questions like “how” or “when” or “what” or “why for the love of God?” should be reserved for a higher authority. For the foreseeable future, “Jackie's Attic” Thrift Store will continue to operate from its current location, 210 5th Avenue South, across from the library.
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I understand that many of you still have questions and comments. I have a lot of “questions and comments” myself. There was a time in my life when I would have loved to share my “questions and comments,” loudly, with city officials. I might have put these “questions and comments” in writing and sent them to news organizations and civil rights groups and lawyers. I might have marched in front of city hall with social workers, nurses, police officers, ministers, business owners, fellow foster families and other advocates for the oppressed -waving signs and banners brandished with pithy expressions of our many “questions and comments.” But I would hope that I have more useful things to do then to waste time fighting city hall. And I would guess that city hall has more important things to do than to waste any time fighting with me. So we will continue to pray for grace and wisdom . . . and then shut up and haul furniture for strangers. If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to consult a higher authority.
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August Expenses:
Rent: $900
Internet: $70
Utilities: $319
Vehicle expenses/gas: $228
Repairs and maintenance: $210
Charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $1354
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Total expenses: $3081
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Sales: $6110
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Gifts: $887
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August total: $3916
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August mileage: 1579
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July 2024 Report
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This week “Jackie's Attic” recorded its 400th outstanding IOU. Granted, most of our volunteers are usually too busy stocking the shelves or finding the Narcan to care about keeping precise accounts -so these numbers may not be exact. Regardless, this is still a pretty impressive feat -especially when you consider that we are a “set your own price thrift store.” This means that, approximately 400 times, a customer picked their own price, but could not pay it. I want to write that again: They picked their own price, but could not pay it. We have all had moments in our life where money has been tight. The waiter leaves the check or the cashier rings up the order and we worry that we are not going to have enough to cover the cost . . . Now imagine that same situation, except instead of being handed a bill, you were allowed to choose how much you wanted pay . . . and you still could not pay it. Maybe pick a lower number? Perhaps, before you go shopping, see how much money you have and then don't try to pay more than that?
There is a saying, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” After 400 empty promises, you would think that we would know better. Of course, we do know better!
We do not accept IOUs because we trust people. We accept IOUs because we like people. And we would rather lose money than have a customer lose face. I know, for some, the unpaid tabs and bounced checks and “Oops, I forgot my wallets” is a practiced scam to avoid paying anything. But for a few, the IOU represents something truly amazing: it means that a person who did not have any money, instead of feeling entitled to a handout, looked at our charity and thought, “I want to give them more than I have.” How do you say “no” to that?
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Expenses:
Rent: $800
Internet: $134
Utilities: $349
Tax: $1111
Vehicle expenses/gas: $186
Charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $970
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Total expenses: $4972
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Sales: $5688
​​
Gifts: $850
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July income: $1566
July deliveries: 16 deliveries, helped 14 people move, furnished 6 homes, hauled over 8000 pounds
July mileage: 1579
Current balance: $14,740​
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June 2024 Report
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If you have been by "Jackie's Attic" recently, then you have probably spent more time there than I have. My daughter has taken over the daily management of the shop, freeing up my time for summer camp work, teaching, preaching, counseling, hauling, furniture distribution, helping people move, hospital visitation and, of course, answering the dozens of texts, emails and phone calls we receive daily requesting the same information that we have already posted on Facebook, our website, our voicemail, Googlemaps and our store front.
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Moving forward, I don't expect to get to spend much time working at the thrift store. There are some things I am really going to miss. There are some things, I am happy to let someone else handle.
​​
I am going to miss the customers. I will miss chatting with the regulars, and telling our story to the newcomers. I will miss the look of utter confusion on the faces of out-of-towners as we try to explain our absurd business model. I will miss praying with people and then later hearing how God answered prayers; I will miss helping people, and then later seeing them return to help others; I will miss the additional revenue that the charity gets because of my honed ability to wield Jewish guilt. Most of all, I will miss seeing the best of the Range -the teachers, pastors, social workers, nurses, friends, family, police officers, business owners, etc. coming in to drop things off or pick things up or rearrange my shelf like they own the place because, in a real way, they do.
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What won't I miss? I won't miss trying to figure out what to do with bags of women's pants. I won't miss watching people steal as I try to decide whether I am supposed to care. I won't miss answering questions about our hours or donation policy which, incidentally is posted on Facebook, our website, our voicemail, Googlemaps and our store front. Did I mention the women's pants?
Maybe I can still sneak myself onto the schedule from time to time. Perhaps I throw my back out lifting a couch and get stuck with "light duty" at the shop. The mission statement of "Someone Ought To" is "to find the things that everyone says someone ought to do, and then do those things until someone more competent comes along to do it better." When it comes to running a thrift store, my daughter does it better. Heck, Jered almost does it better! But don't worry, I will still be around to carry the couch or handle the complaints or answer the questions that we have already answered -unless one of you want to do it?
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June Expenses:
​
Rent: $800
Utilities: $483
Vehicle repairs/gas: $444
Charitable giving/volunteer expenses: $220
​​​
Total expenses: -$1947
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Sales: $4187
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Gifts: $780
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June Total: $3,020
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June deliveries: 20 deliveries, moved 6 people
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June mileage: 847
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May 2024 Report
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I hate rules. They don't work. Posting a sign that says "do not enter" or "no trespassing" does not actually
stop people. You can just walk around those signs.
​​​
People will often ask about our policy on donations. I tell them our policy. And then they still drop things off in the rain or after hours or while we are closing because they already loaded the truck or it is "just one bag." "If the policy was so important, why is it only posted three places throughout the shop and on the website and your Facebook page and said 15 times a shift?"
​​​
Rules don't change a thing. So why make rules?
​​
The rule-maker is looking for a policy to point at, so they are not responsible. "My hands are tied, thems the rules!" The rule-breaker examines the policy in search of a loophole. "Well, you should have made it more clear! So, since I didn't know, take these 12 analog TVs." Whether it is city ordinances, federal tax codes, MN statutes, mom's rules or God's commandments -the law does not make us behave any different.
​​
What does, however, make us behave different . . . is relationships. It is not my marriage license that keeps me faithful, it is the fact that I really like my wife. At "Someone Ought To," we do not rely on programs or policies. We do not ask for referrals or forms or signatures, because we know people are all a bunch of liars and cheats and are going to do whatever they want. Instead, we believe in relationships. It is our relationship with Jesus that makes us want to serve the community and gives our life meaning. It is our relationships with area churches and other gracious people that keep our charity going. Hopefully, it is your relationship with us that makes you decide that, even though you didn't see an official policy against unloading your flooded basement behind our shop . . . you probably shouldn't -because we are friends.
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As a kid, I remember my dad frequently having disconcerting interactions with clearly disturbed people. Whenever my mother would warn my father not to approach the strange man with the overcoat and baseball bat sleeping on our car or the raving hobo blocking our front door, my dad would always say "It's OK! They are my people and they love me." To which my mom would respond, "Great! I will put that on your tombstone."
​​​
I don't know that all of Virginia is "our people." Or, even less, that they love us. But we love them! And we hope that this relationship with Virginia can transcend any public policy. Or at least keep us from being stabbed.
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May financial report:
Expenses:
Rent: $800
Utilities: $703
Vehicle expenses/gas: $294
Charitable giving: $147
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Total expenses: $1994
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Sales: $4689
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Gifts: $130
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May income: $2825
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May deliveries: 3400 pounds hauled, 25 deliveries, moved 6 people
​​​
May mileage: 925​
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April 2024 Report
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The hardest part about managing "Jackie's Attic" and "Someone Ought To" is deciding exactly how much to let people steal from you. Usually it is just little thefts, people saying they don't have money to pay for clothes, when they clearly can afford cigarettes or booze or meth. Sometimes it is a little more overt. The other day a lady tried to sneak out the front door with an armload of clothes. When confronted, she said it is OK, because she does this all the time and is going through menopause. When I asked what that was supposed to mean she said I need to Google it. Often the crimes are little more extreme. Recently we fully furnished the home of a family only to see all the furniture for sale on Facebook Marketplace. (I offered to buy back our stolen futon. The seller has not yet responded.)
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A case can be made for pressing charges and fighting evil wherever it may be found. As they say, all it takes for wickedness to prevail is for good men to do nothing. An argument can also be made for "turning the other cheek" and "giving your tunic" to the one who "demands your cloak." In all honesty, I have no idea how best to handle the many awful things we encounter in our efforts to help. We have been accused, and perhaps rightly so, of enabling wickedness. Some have suggested that by not putting up cameras or pressing charges or holding people to higher standards, our charitable work has become "toxic" and the wicked are no better off for it. They are probably right. But we are not here for the wicked. We are here to show the love of Jesus. Just as God causes the rain to fall on the good and bad alike, we aim to be indiscriminately gracious, regardless of how it will be received. If our Master gave His life for sinners, the least we can do is give up our pants.
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If you remain determined to steal from us, we probably won't stop you. Just be warned: shoplifters will be prayed for. And, if you are not careful, perhaps even prayed with.
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Expenses:
Rent: $800
Utilities: $1022
Vehicle expenses/gas: $279
Taxes: $1127
Charitable giving: $1012
Renovation expenses: $100
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Total expenses: $4340
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Sales: $5061
​
Gifts: $976
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Credit refund: $216
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April income: $1913
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April deliveries: 4280 pounds hauled, 29 deliveries, moved 26 people
​April mileage: 703
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March 2024 Report
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One of the principles that guide the operations of “Jackie's Attic” is that “nothing gets thrown away.” This is not just because I am too lazy to carry the garbage around to the dumpster in the back. This is because everything has some value to someone. Put a box of broken picture frames or soiled t-shirts in the back of the shop . . . and, eventually, someone will take them. I don't know what they do with them. I don't want to know what they do with them. But they say “thanks” and happily carry away what we should have long since thrown away. We don't always have the space to store everything, we rarely have the time to sort or display everything. But whatever it is, if it can be found, someone wants it.
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Recently, we have been on a mission to salvage a far more valuable overlooked commodity: people. Every day customers walk into our shop looking for the elusive treasure -a rare book, an antique hutch, a cast iron skillet- all the while failing to notice that the only truly valuable things in the shop is the other customers. Virginia is filled with people sitting around, like a pile of unwanted women's blouses, just waiting for the right fit. Well, at “Jackie's Attic,” we are determined to find the right fit. Regardless of your interests, skills or scars, we can use you. Much of the cleaning, sorting, selling, hauling, ministering, funding, praying and organizing at the shop is done by people who were helped by the shop.
If you need something, you may or may not find it at “Jackie's Attic.” But if you need to be useful, I guarantee we have it in stock. So come on by and take out the trash! Because we all know I'm not going to.
March Expenses:
Rent: $800
Utilities: $805
Vehicle expenses/gas: $285
Taxes: $6209
Charitable giving: $730
Electrician: 776
Renovation expenses: $831
​
Total expenses: $10,436
​​
Sales: $4566
​​
Gifts: $266
​​
March income: $4832
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Jackie's Attic March total: -$5604
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March deliveries: 3820 pounds hauled, 16 deliveries, moved 17 people
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March mileage: 1342​
February 2024 Report
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It has been said, cynically, “No good deed goes unpunished.” This is untrue. There are many good deeds that have been done anonymously or have slipped by unnoticed or unappreciated. But, if you happen to get caught doing a good deed, yes, you will be punished. Help someone move, and eventually you will be moving their friends and family as well. Feed the poor, and the poor will keep coming. Deliver a couch, for free, to a complete stranger who is on a weight-lifting restriction and lives in a 3rd floor apartment with “tricky” hallways and no elevator . . . and expect to get threatening texts for the next two weeks because the couch has a scuff mark.
So why ever leave your own couch? Because everything in this world of any value can only be attained through sacrifice. This belief is at the core of the gospel of Jesus and the mission of “Someone Ought To.” Speaking as a man who has spent a lot of time on couches, and a lot of time under couches, regardless of any judgment, resentment and spinal misalignment -no contest . . . under is better.
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As we find ourselves in the season of Lent, a time marked by sacrifice, may you find true joy and blessing by taking up your cross, or someone else's couch, and following Jesus.
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February expenses:
Rent: $800
Utilities: $1468
Vehicle expenses: $304
Charitable giving: $1804
Volunteer expenses:
Building expenses: $152
Garbage: $10
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Total expenses: $4538
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Sales: $4758
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Gifts: $474
Jackie's Attic February total: $694
Jackie's Attic Current balance: $11,461
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Someone Ought To Current balance: $5,167
February deliveries: 2770 pounds hauled, 13 deliveries, moved 10 people
February mileage: 468​
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January 2024 Report
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When we first came up with the ridiculous scheme of running a "set your own price" thrift store, we aimed to lose about $6,000 a year, go bankrupt after two years, and then move on to something less absurd. We missed. Instead, two years later, we have been blessed with thousands of customers (some that have even paid!), hundreds of supporters and community partners, dozens of volunteers, a dilapidated building and a moving truck. Sure, we still get the occasional Google review that will compare our shop to the smell of armpits, but otherwise I am calling this project a "win."
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I often wonder what I am doing here. I have no business acumen, interest in retail or understanding of fashion. I can't fix anything. I have a bad back. I have no sense of direction. I can't parallel park. I should not be running a business or renovating a building or, for the love of humanity, allowed anywhere near a moving truck. So why me?
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It is true that I don't know how to do anything. But one thing I do know, is that I don't know how to do anything. This puts me in a perfect place to live in the grace of God and man. As we enter into our second full year of operations, we want to thank you all for your support and partnership. And for those of you that I am about to accidentally cut off as I poorly navigate the streets of Virginia . . . we thank you for your patience and grace.
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Jackie's Attic January Expenses*:
Rent: $800
Utilities: $985
Gas: $479
Charitable distributions: $729 (food cards, gas cards, assistance with automotive repairs, meals/food, volunteers' discretionary giving/spending, etc.)
Building expenses: $568
Garbage/dump fees: $584
Grant Application fees: $500
Taxes: $1275 (quarterly sales tax included)
Insurance: $1051 (annual, mandated)
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Total January Expenses: $6,971
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Jackie's Attic January Sales: $4,989
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Financial Gifts Received: $166
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Jackie's Attic January total: -$1816
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Jackie's Attic Current balance: $10,767**
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"Someone Ought To": Purchase of truck -$10,000
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"Someone Ought To" Current balance: $5,167**
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January miles driven: 1308
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January deliveries: approximately 14,000 pounds hauled, 21 deliveries, moved 9 people