Mrs. PWTR (Police Wives Talk Radio) reports on her recent trip to the Port Orchard Goodwill. While giving a window into motherhood, she also shares a diamond of hope with a stranger and searches for treasures in the aisles. We are so thankful for her input and skill; she is a true Goodwill Hoarding Girl!
On the Road with Mrs. PWTR:
Midweek I sent a cell phone picture to the ladies at GW Hoarding with a caption “Guess Where I Am?” They are so kind to accept me and my electronic stalking and commenting on GW Hoarding, plus have fueled the fire by welcoming my guest thriftier posts.
My journey to the Port Orchard Goodwill was literally a “third time is the charm” experience. The previous week I had #1 Son loaded in the car en route to the South Kitsap HS baseball field which is RIGHT BY the Port Orchard GW (cue the heavenly “Ah Ha” sound) when he received a text as we merged onto I5 the game was cancelled. Drat.
The next week was a hurried trip to Port Orchard with three crabby kids in the car not dealing well with the 92-degree heat. We arrive in Port Orchard with plenty of time to spare and go to the A&W (https://www.facebook.com/bucksAandW) in the same complex as GW. We enjoy Buck’s A&W prior to the game and I get rather tearful and homesick for my small town Idaho community. I read a story of how the community banded together to save the A&W when the economy had taken it’s first round of nosedives earlier in the decade. Tears were quickly re-absorbed in my orbital sockets at the thought of a GW trek (I could see GW from my perch at A&W) after I got #1 son deposited at his game for warm up.
Once we headed back to the field I started to build that pre-GW excitement as to what treasures might await, but noticed there were 2 teams arriving at the field neither of which my son was a part of. The schedule had been relayed incorrectly to Mom – AKA Taxi Driver who must double as an all knowing sage at all times – and the game was not at South K that day. Put the car in drive and go home. No passing Go, no collecting $200 and certainly no trip to GW with 3 even more crabby, hot and frustrated children driven by an even more frustrated mother. DEEP BREATH.
The next day rolls around and I am cautiously optimistic about getting to the Port Orchard GW. After obsessively checking the schedule and interrogating #1 Son the entire way about the validity of the schedule we make it. No need for softsoaping the other two children with ice cream or any other goodies to compromise with Mom for a trip to GW – they were at their baseball practice with their Dad – leaving me….yes…cue that ‘”Ah Ha” angelic chord again, ALONE and FINALLY at GW in Port Orchard.
Port Orchard GW
After snapping my picture and sending it to the GW Hoarding Girls I find my way to the entrance to learn Port Orchard GW is part of the Seattle GW system. Learn something new every day…(http://www.seattlegoodwill.org/shop/locations/port-orchard) It was senior 62+ day (Wednesday for Seattle GWs) and no colored tags or Manager’s Special to hunt for, but, considering the challenges I had encountered with making it finally to Port Orchard GW, I was just happy to be there.
The store was buzzing with shoppers and there were quite a few seniors scoping out bargains and taking advantage of discount day. I was greeted by a very tall and friendly young man at the register and the tone was set for the shopping expedition. First stop housewares. Wide aisles, well organized and stocked. It was at that time I realized my cellphone battery was depleted (#1 Son has a habit of unplugging my phone to charge his…forget he wouldn’t be needing it for 4+ hours…) and I probably wouldn’t be able to snap as many pictures as I wanted to for the GW Hoarding Girls. No battery issue was going to ruin my time!
Did I find the Hope Diamond?!?
I hope so…
Pyrex Finds
I did find a Pyrex set with a chipped glass lid… Me being very unsure about vintage Pyrex I knew enough to feel confident that poor set had seen better days and had been put through the dishwasher, which was a no-no. Is the Pyrex priced too high? I didn’t know.
Too high?
A set of ~pink~ KitchenAid measuring cups and spoons made it to my cart for .99 each. I had a Barbie Dreamhouse moment thinking of how cute these would look while baking and measuring some goodie in the future.
Barbie Dreamhouse Kitchen
Next was to clothing. Quite a decent selection and, like housewares and the store overall, well organized. The shoes and handbags too were quite fun. My camera battery had finally given up the ghost by then, but I was confident my writing skills would build the image for my intended readers. I then saw *them*. *Them* being BRAND NWT BLACK HIGH HEEL BOOTS. Being blessed with calves I was hopeful the boots would fit and they looked as if they were cut just right. Going into the furniture section and planting myself upon a parsons chair covered in 1980-ish floral print which would have made Molly Ringwald happy, I tried the boots on, and once again, cue that “Ah Ha” chord, THEY FIT! SCORE!! SCORE!! SCORE!! Just the perfect boots to round out the outfit I have been waiting for to rock this fall…my Gig Harbor GW CABi dress and Seattle-area GW leather blazer. I would have worn them around the store–I was so happy to find them–however, they just didn’t complete the look with my shorts and baseball fan attire. But, then again, I have never not seen anything in a GW fashion-wise that would provoke one patron to question another…after all, we are kindred spirit thrifters and all on the same GW team together–definitely “No ‘I’ in Team” amongst us GW thrifters.
Time for checkout and to head to the game. Still walking on air from my boot score I make it to the front of the store and notice the lady in front of me had purchased the MOST BEAUTIFUL COVERED CAKE PLATE. Ok, I know it is getting old, but humor me, cue the “Ah Ha” chord one last time. I had seen this stand earlier when I was working my way through housewares and appreciated the high quality of it. Very pretty design etched into it and heavy. I didn’t pick up the plate to see if I could find an identification or hallmark of some sort, but just “knew” it was a great find! I had hoped someone would help find this piece its new, forever home, and, lucky me, I got to see that wish come through in the check out lane. With the store being busy I had the opportunity to complement the lady on her score and she said she was quite excited to find it because she loved baking. What a stage that covered plate would be to display her baked goods. Good for her!
Check out and onto my vehicle I found myself again by the covered cake plate lady so carefully loading her treasures in her car. We exchanged pleasantries again and she returned her cart. When she came back to her car she stopped and approached me. Through conversation I learned her name was Teresa and she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer the previous day. Teresa said to me she was so appreciative I had commented on the piece and reinforced her internal “justification” if the purchase was a good one or not. We talked for quite some time and it was apparent she was in shock over her diagnosis and the events of the past 24 hours. Luckily this lady comes from other relatives who are cancer SURVIVORS and luckily she has a job with great benefits and health insurance. We talked a bit more and that former social worker in me kicked in giving her patient advocacy and system navigation tips. Who would have thought a Goodwill conversation would have taken this form? After bidding Teresa goodbye, good luck and a sincere commitment to keep her in my prayers, I drove away quite relieved it was finally that third attempt that landed me at Port Orchard GW. It’s not always about a score on a great pair of boots or finding the right pair of jeans. I was able to provide comfort and reassurance to a lady who had just been handed the worst news of her life. We were able to bond over a cake plate and go instantly to a place where she needed to process and express what was front and center on her mind.
Please keep Teresa in your thoughts and know that kind word, complement or conversation you strike up the next time in the aisles of GW (or anywhere for that matter) may just be that affirmation to another person they have value, they matter and are going to be OK. Every time I break out those pink KitchenAid mixing cups and spoons I picked up on this visit I will never forget Teresa or any other cancer survivor. Let’s hope for a cure. Peace and GOODWILL toward others for sure. ❤
Goodwill Hoarding 