The Giving Store in Henderson offers low-priced items and gives proceeds to nonprofits

When shopping for clothing, furniture or books at The Giving Store, people can not only find a deal on low-cost items but also give back to four nonprofits.

Derived from her own volunteer spirit, Kathryn Fish created The Giving Store, 274 E. Lake Mead Drive, with the intention of providing resources for the community and charities.

"We lived in a small town where everyone knew each other," Fish said. "I remember being 9 or 10 and going around to people's houses and asking if they needed anything."

In 2008, Fish was considering adopting the three foster children she had looked after for two years.

"But then the parents got their act together, so the judge gave the children back (to their parents)," Fish said. "It broke my heart. I knew I couldn't do foster care again. But I still wanted to give back to the community."

Fish yearned to serve the community when she discovered S.A.F.E. House, which provides resources and shelter for domestic violence survivors.

"I did the 30-hour volunteer training," Fish said. "I ended up helping out in the office working with donations."

Fish noticed there was an abundance of certain items, which were given to national thrift stores.

Then the idea came to open her own thrift store where a percentage of the earnings go back to nonprofits.

"It took about 14 months from idea to opening," Fish said.

In that 14 months, Fish got the proper licenses from the city to become a business and received her 501(c)(3) to become a nonprofit .

The board, which includes Henderson Mayor Andy Hafen, helped come up with a plan to give proceeds back to community organizations .

Julie Proctor, executive director for S.A.F.E. House , said The Giving Store donates about 40 percent of its proceeds to the organization.

"It's great because funding and monetary support is drastically down," Proctor said.

After four months of business, The Giving Store made its first donation to S.A.F.E. House on Dec. 16.

Fish said the store is slated give the organization a donation about every six months.

The store also gives proceeds to Heaven Can Wait Animal Society, which provides animal adoptions and spay/neuter programs; Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which helps returning wounded soldiers; and Humanitarian Aid Fund, which provides disaster relief.

Fish said that in the future, the number of organizations she donates to might spread.

Along with giving proceeds to S.A.F.E. House, Fish invites domestic violence survivors to shop for free.

"We usually let them come in when the store is closed so they can shop," Fish said.

Fish also lets some of the survivors volunteer at the store.

"Many need to accumulate work skills, and this gives them a chance to do so," Proctor said.

But the community also benefits , Fish said, by being able to buy items at lower prices.

"I'm not a big shopper," Fish said. "But I have shopped at thrift stores before. I try to match what other thrift stores offer or lower."

Fish gets most of her items from donations from the community.

"The community has been really generous," Fish said.

For about a year before the opening , Fish hoarded miscellaneous items in her house .

"I had it in my living room, dining room and patio," Fish said. "I don't think I could do that again. I had things stacked from floor to ceiling."

Anything that might not be suitable to sell, Fish said, is given to homeless shelters or disaster relief organizations.

The store has two part-time employees and a handful of volunteers.

"I am really gracious to the people who volunteer here," Fish said. "We are still looking for more volunteers. Even one to two hours a week helps out."

Her volunteers are instilled with the store's motto to "give a hand up, not a hand out."

"It's like this story I heard of the starfish," Fish said. "A man was walking along the beach and saw another man throwing starfish back into the ocean. The first man told the other man, 'Why bother? It's not going to make a difference.' The (second) man picked another starfish up, threw it in the ocean and said, 'It made a difference to that one.' We can't do everything. But we can do something."

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Fish said that one day the store might expand its hours and be open Mondays.

For more information, visit thegiving
storenevada.org.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 387-5201.