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No. 9 Vol. 9
www.theblackrivernews.com
September 2016
Racks Still Standing With New Location, Storefront And More Hours, Proceeds For Charity
By Cheryl Conway fter expanding so much in less than a year, a non-profit thrift boutique shop in Long Valley recently relocated, offering more shopping hours and its own dressed up store-front window. The Long Valley Junior Women’s Club is back in business with its own space just two doors down from its previous space at Green Market. Located at 28 Schooley’s Mountain Rd. in Long Valley, Racks Valley Boutique just held its grand opening, Sept. 8, with its wine and cheese event. Through the help of volunteers and generous landlords, Racks was able to muddle through and continue to stay afloat when hit with challenges. Club members are looking forward to greater sales that will not only provide quality clothing to shoppers but will support the community in so many facets. “We are so excited!” says Andrea Alfieri, co-vice president of Racks along with Michelle Barron. “Now we have our own boutique.” At racks, LVJWC collects the community’s clothing, resells the quality merchandise and donates the remaining items to Big Brothers Big Sisters. All proceeds to go back to support the town’s services and charities.
“It’s an award winning concept,” says Alfieri, one that was recognized in May as the Best Community Improvement Community Program by the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs of GFWC. Club member Amanda Janke explained “We had outgrown our current space and needed to be able to have our own, private storefront to successfully continue the business. Just shy of the boutique’s one year anniversary last June, club members started looking for a new space, but ran into so many challenges that at one point they feared they may have to close the doors for good. “Topping the list of hardships was finding a property owner that was willing to negotiate with a non-profit organization,” explains Janke. “The club was also set on keeping the boutique in Long Valley, where most of its members reside, and there simply were not enough affordable options available. At almost the last second, the group’s former landlord, Leona Harrington, was able to help the club broker a deal with the owner of a property just a few doors down from the Green Market building. “It’s really no surprise that Leona was the one who finally got us in contact with someone who could help us, she’s always been one of the club’s biggest supporters
and I know she wanted to make sure we could continue on this endeavor, we’re very grateful,” says Janke. Since June 2015, Harrington had offered the LVJWC a space at the Green Market on Thursdays, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. “She offered us a corner,” says Alfieri. “We kind of grew and grew, expanded and expanded.”
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When March and April approached, the group realized “We are huge,” says Alfieri. It got to a point when the group wanted to relocate to find a spot of their own. “We had expanded so much from the original space,” says Alfieri. “We felt we were taking advantage of her generosity. We took and took and took and took. She continued on page 6