Walnut Tree is open and welcoming YOU!

Walnut Tree fans and friends:

We are so happy to be open again - our regular hours are MWF 12 to 5 and we can also accept donations during that time.

A list of the items we can accept as donations will appear in a subsequent post.

We have a very active Facebook page! Please look for The Walnut Three Thrift Store in Facebook and you will see frequent updates!

We work hard to be COVID compliant and may limit the number of customers in the shop at one time. Wear your masks!

Our proceeds are used for projects that target the health, well being, and economic status of women and children, locally and worldwide. We are dedicated to these projects, as we have been since the Walnut Tree opened in October 1975. After all these years, we still love what we do! Come see us soon!

Walnut Tree updates - days, hours, donation policies, etc!

Walnut Tree Fans and Friends:

We are open!

We are currently open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12 to 5. Donation time is during business hours.

Occasionally we need to suspend donations when our donation room is full. 

If there are any changes to our schedule we will post on our Facebook page FIRST so you will know.

Washington State continues to manage COVID-19 risk factors by social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing, and limiting the number of people who gather indoors. We are adhering to all state mandates but we are happy to welcome YOU to shop with us!

We are still seeking an optimum schedule that works for our volunteers, shoppers, and donors in the new COVID-19 environment.

We will do our best to comply with sanitizing, social distancing requirements, and state/health department mandates. We have made some physical changes to the shop in this regard. We may limit the number of shoppers inside the store - we are putting more merchandise outside for your convenience.

We are still offering groupings of items on our Facebook page for curbside pickup. Keep watching here for the latest info.

We plan to open the north gate to the parking lot during donation times. Please place your donations in our receiving room as far to the LEFT as possible, to leave space for others. Stack them up high! We may or may not have someone on site when you arrive. Most of our member-volunteers are in high risk categories for coronavirus and we are encouraging them to remain home until they are comfortable coming to the shop again.

We accept new or gently used clothes, shoes, linens, books, household décor, kitchen items, craft supplies, jewelry, toys, puzzles, complete games, stuffies, office supplies, unused cosmetics, pet supplies, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and some additional odds and ends!

NO furniture, mattresses, encyclopedias, large exercise equipment, electronics, wet/soiled/mildewed items, or food.

Thanks for your continued support of The Walnut Tree!

Walnut Tree reopens January 2, 2020!

We're back!  The Walnut Tree has reopened after three months of repair and very hard work.  Thanks to everyone who has patiently waited for our return.  We appreciate all the good wishes and concern.  





We'll be back on our regular schedule; Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays the shop is open from 12 noon to 5 p.m. 

Donation hours are Mondays, Wednesdays,  and Fridays from 12 noon to 5 p.m. 

Be sure to follow our Facebook page for weekly updates and news about our sales and special events. 

Tell all your friends that the long wait is over and come see us soon!

 

Walnut Tree Temporarily closed as of October 2019

Our little thrift shop has experienced a plumbing catastrophe and major damage to the building.

Everything had to come out of the shop, Servpro brought in the big dehumidifiers and our insurance adjuster is evaluating the subflooring and sheet rock. 

We will have a lot of construction going on in the next few weeks - don't mistake that for the shop being open!  We are closed until all repairs are complete and we restock the shop.

Yes, we lost some of the merchandise to water damage.  No, we didn't lose it all!

Thanks to our customers and donors for their patience and for holding on to donations until we're ready to receive them again.  And we will need them!

Watch our Facebook page for updates every few days.  We appreciate your faithfulness and concern!  This is such a big job and we miss our shop and our customers!

Any estimate as to when we will reopen?  No.  Maybe by the end of October.  So keep checking.

Thanks!!

Celebrating our 70th!

SOROPTIMIST CELEBRATES 70

Soroptimist International of Sedro-Woolley will celebrate 70 years at an anniversary event on Saturday, June 29^th, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at The Walnut Tree thrift shop, 713 Puget, in Sedro-Woolley.  Chartered on June 17, 1949, local Soroptimists have enjoyed service to the community and friendship through seven decades of changing American life.  The celebration will include refreshments, entertainment, and open hours for The Walnut Tree.  The public is invited.

 

Currently with 64 members, S-W Soroptimists provide the volunteer work required to sort, price, and sell the donations to The Walnut Tree, which come from the generous community.  The club’s current president is Elinor Nakis of Sedro-Woolley, and Andrea Brown of Sedro-Woolley has been elected for the next presidential term beginning July 1.

Fund raising for local projects has always been at the forefront for Sedro-Woolley Soroptimists.  From fruitcake, rummage, and bake sales to “teas” and member donations, earning money is an important activity in any service club. 

In 1951 Soroptimists bought “Nightingale Units” for Memorial Hospital patient use, as well as raised $1000 in a community effort to add a new hospital wing.  Part of their fundraising effort was to place “milk bottles” in businesses in Sedro-Woolley and upriver to give each resident an opportunity to contribute to the hospital cause.  The Milk Bottle project netted $160, in a time when the new hospital addition was budgeted at $150,000.

A variety of fundraising efforts continued until October 1975, when then-president Bee Johnson initiated the project to start a permanent thrift shop as a Soroptimist business in Sedro-Woolley, and The Walnut Tree was born.  After 44 years in business, the thriving shop continues to provide bargain shopping for books, clothes, household goods, and other interesting treasures with all profits enabling the Club to support selected worthy causes.  

 

 

“We operate a business together, “emphasizes former President Judy Johnson (daughter of Bee Johnson). “With all the dynamics of business and club activities, Soroptimist membership is a big personal commitment.”

Community work
Through the 70 years, Soroptimists have often sponsored community projects such as Girls State, dinners for Sedro-Woolley School District Faculty Women (Rotary fed the male faculty), a nurse’s career club at SWHS, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Camp Fire, brochures for the Chamber of Commerce, and scholarships for SWHS graduates. 

Projects supported in recent times include scholarships for graduating high school seniors, continuing education scholarships, United General Hospital Oncology Unit, Helping Hands Food Bank, Sedro-Woolley Boys and Girls Club, Cascade Middle School AVID program, Sedro-Woolley Public Library, Meals on Wheels, Skagit Hospice, Skagit Habitat for Humanity, Skagit County Search and Rescue, Sedro-Woolley Community Thanksgiving, Sedro-Woolley Community Troop Support, Hammer Heritage Square, The Landing, and many more.  Sedro-Woolley Soroptimists played an integral role in the building of our Community Center in 1976.

The Saturday during March that falls closest to International Women’s Day on March 8^th is annually “Soroptimist Saturday of Service” where clubs all over the world execute service projects in their communities and of their own choosing.  SI S-W has developed a tradition of opening The Walnut Tree on that day and donating the day’s proceeds to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program hosted by United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley.  Themed as a “Community Baby Shower”, the shop also collects donations on that day, from members and the community, of baby products needed by WIC mothers.  

Organization

SI Sedro-Woolley was originally sponsored by SI Seattle Metropolitan in 1949.  Subsequently, SI S-W sponsored the chartering of SI Burlington.

There are 11 Soroptimist clubs in this four-county area and three of the Skagit County clubs operate thrift shops (S-W, La Conner, and Anacortes). 

Sedro-Woolley has a “friendship link” relationship with SI of the Langleys, BC, Canada. 

The Walnut Tree’s regular hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 12 noon to 5 p.m.  The shop’s Facebook page alerts shoppers to special promotions and sales.

 

 

Soroptimists in Sedro-Woolley - The Walnut Tree Thrift Shop!

That quaint little thrift shop on Puget Street is a hive of activity almost every weekday.  Shoppers, donors, and Soroptimist volunteers generate some of the best bargains in Skagit County, and all for the good of our community. 

 

The Walnut Tree thrift shop has been a staple in Sedro-Woolley for 42 years (October 30, 1975); in its current location since 1994. 

“We are proud to own and operate a thriving business in Sedro-Woolley,” said Bev Riesland, current president.  “Our shop serves the community in many ways – as an outlet for donating items, as a thrift shopping opportunity, and using the proceeds for significant projects, including scholarships.”

Soroptimist International of Sedro-Woolley was chartered June 17, 1949 and remains a strong, growing, and busy club in the new millennium.  Currently with 56 members, the club taps the labor and expertise of all who belong.  “Many of our members have come to us because of the shop,” observed Riesland.  “They know that their time and effort will be well-used by the club and will result in direct benefits to the community.”

“We struggled, as many clubs do, with fundraising for our community projects until The Walnut Tree was opened in October 1975,” said Judy Johnson, past president of the Sedro-Woolley group.  “My mother, Bee Johnson, was president in 1975 and she was inspired by other clubs at a regional conference to start a Soroptimist thrift shop in Sedro-Woolley.  The first location was east of Liberty Bell Market on State Street, where there was a big walnut tree dropping nuts on the roof of the little building where the shop began, and that’s how The Walnut Tree got its name.”

Over the years, SI Sedro-Woolley has contributed funds to hundreds of local projects.  A few examples are:  Building Hammer Heritage Square, building the Sedro-Woolley Community Center, purchasing a hovercraft for Skagit Search and Rescue, contributing to all East County food banks, contributing to the Sedro-Woolley Senior Center and March for Meals, sponsoring mammograms for East County women through Citrine Health, contributing operating and program funds to the Sedro-Woolley Boys and Girls Club, and sponsoring Chamber of Commerce events.

“Our favorite project is probably awarding scholarships to Sedro-Woolley, State Street, and Concrete high school graduates,” said Anita Weidkamp, scholarship committee chair.  “It is so rewarding to help local young people get started on their higher education.” 

Shop proceeds are also directed to Soroptimist International’s signature projects around the world.  The organization’s mission statement, “Improving the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment,” reflects the focus on lifting women out of poverty and into financial independence. 

“Live Your Dream” Awards are available to adult women who are heads of household and are pursuing higher education to improve their skills and employment prospects.

***

 

The Walnut Tree thrift shop is located at 713 Puget Street in Sedro-Woolley.  Visit our Facebook page for shopping hours, donation hours, and updated information. 

@WalnutTreeThriftShop 

 

Soroptimist International has 76,000 members in 120 countries.  There are five clubs in Skagit County; three clubs operate thrift shops.  The coined word, “Soroptimist” means “Best for Women”.  Visit www.soroptimist.org for more information.

 

Live Your Dream Award - deadline November 15, 2017

The Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards program has been helping women around the world since 1972.  This program provides cash grants to women who are working to better their lives through additional schooling and skills training.
YOU are eligible to apply if you are:
*A woman with primary financial responsibility for yourself and your dependents.
*Attending an undergraduate degree program or a vocational skills training program.
*Have a financial need.

For information about applying for the Soroptimist Live Your Dream: Education & Training Award program, please contact:

Soroptimist International of Sedro-Woolley
Kacy Johnson - Chairman
email - kacyjohnson693@gmail.com

360-856-6206

Deadline is November 15, 2017.

The amount of the Club Award is a minimum of $1,000.00.

Applications are also available at The Walnut Tree Thrift Shop at 713 Puget in Sedro-Woolley.  Ask the cashier for one!