Market Basket
Mary Shown| South Bend Tribune
This story was originally published April 28,2021 in the South Bend Tribune.
A local not-for-profit resale store has opened a second location that also doubles as a donation drop off point and as a new popup home for a local cookie shop.
Resale to the Rescue, a retail store that sells donated items and gives proceeds to local animal groups, opened its home décor store in February merely four doors down from its first location at 905 W. McKinley Ave., in Mishawaka.
Founder Jan Caudell said the group rented the space at 805 W. McKinley Ave. next to Cricket Wireless in order to provide a space for such donated items as clothing, home décor and knickknacks to “de-cootie-fy” for 72 hours in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Caudell said the three-day quarantine for items is not mandated by local or state officials, but said she got the idea from a social media group with other similarly structured businesses who enacted similar protocols.
“There’s no state mandate to do it, but I think it makes our volunteers — who are the ones who sort everything — feel safer,” Caudell said.
Caudell decided to take advantage of the extra square footage and moved home décor items to the new space, which also helped declutter its original location. Items such as a full dining room table set, bedroom set, framed pictures and chairs fill the front of the store while donated items are organized and quarantined in the back, discretely hidden behind a curtain.
Since opening its storefront nearly five years ago, Resale to the Rescue has raised $425,000 for local pet rescue groups.
In addition to the furniture resale store, space also has been set aside for local cookie company Chips and Doodles to open a popup inside the store. Cookie business owner Pam Derr bakes out of a commissary kitchen and sells bags of her cookies at stores such as Eby’s and at Resale’s first location. Derr said she was looking to open more of a retail footprint and, at the same time, Caudell was looking for a way to get the word out about Resale’s additional location.
The two just meshed.
“I love animals so this is a way of giving back to the community,” Derr said. “So it was just a way to team up and partner with an organization that’s doing a lot of good in the community and that’s what we wanted to do as well.”
“And she’s passionate about baking, and she loves animals as well, so it crosses the two perfect paths,” daughter Cassie Derr said.
Known for chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies (hence the Chips and Doodles name), Derr also makes up to 15 other freshly baked cookie varieties and plans to add more items, such as puppy chow, with the new popup. The bakery has also added a new feature of edible screen icing and is able to print logos and pictures. Customers can also make custom orders at the shop, while also making requests online.
Caudell said they have a lease for the space until the end of the year, when they will then re-evaluate how well the new home décor store has done and keep it going if necessary. Derr said she plans to have a Chips and Doodles popup present inside the store as long as she can.
Resale to the Rescue’s home décor store and Chips and Doodles will be open Thursdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store, like the first location, is also pet friendly.
Have you heard?
The Hob Nob Bistro in Niles is closed. According to Google, the restaurant at 1109 S. 11th St. is listed as being “permanently closed.” The phone number to the restaurant rings unanswered, and its voicemail box is full. There were no signs on the restaurant’s doors alluding to a reopening date or reason for closure. … Ten Thousand Villages will host a Spring Artisan Market this Saturday where 18 local vendors and artists will be showcased. The outdoor event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kern Road Mennonite Church, 18211 Kern Road on the south side of South Bend. Three food vendors will also be in attendance. Ten Thousand Villages manager and event organizer Courtney Leigh Kubly said the event was created to “give the makers and artists a channel to sell, as well as exposure and build their customer base.” Kubly said if this event is successful, they intend to provide a similar event in the fall. More information can be found online at facebook.com/VillagesMishawaka and follow the events page. … Frozen yogurt and hand-dipped ice cream business Swirlyz in Niles has reopened for the season. The business at 211 N. Front St. is open Mondays through Thursdays from 3 to 8 p.m., Fridays from 3 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 1 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 8 p.m. Orders can also be placed online at swirlyz.net or by calling 269-262-4809 for pickup.
