Soroptimist International of Anacortes was chartered by
the Metropolitan Club of Seattle in June, 1948 with 23
members.  These were business women, representing just
about every type of industry in Anacortes. After adopting
by-laws and appointing committees, the next big decision
was a club project.  The Seattle club advised them to
choose something out of the ordinary - a “reach for the
stars” idea.  Since so many clubs chose scholarships,
they decided it would be more fun to do something unusual. 
Although there were many suggestions, the final decision
was to start a Hospital Equipment for Loan program which would serve residents of Anacortes without charge.  The first piece of equipment purchased was a bed.   

The next problem the club encountered was how to pay for the bed.  The club members raised money in a variety of ways.  They held style shows, bake sales, musical programs, rummage sales and dinners.   All of these fund raisers took lots of time and effort, and sometimes the resulting profit was small. 

In 1966, Thelma Marani, Nina Antonious and Doris Tursi decided to ask the club to consider opening a thrift shop.  The idea received a lot of opposition for a variety of reasons, mostly cost.  Doris, a Life Member who just recently passed away, said, “It took some persuasion to convince the club that it was a good idea.  We had to personally guarantee that the club would not go in debt, and we never did.  We didn’t make much at first, but we always managed to make expenses, which were $25 plus a few dollars in winter for Presto Logs.” 

Little did anyone know back in 1966 how this decision would impact the club.  First of all, the thrift shop became it’s own service project, offering the community clean, high quality, previously owned goods at a reasonable price.  Secondly, it became the engine that generated funds that made all of the other service projects possible. 

The location for the “Bargain Bungalow,” as it was first called, was a small house at 31^st and Commercial.  The members put up shelves and clothes racks and opened for business on December 13, 1966.  The first time the shop made $30, the members felt like celebrating.   

In 1972, the building that was being rented for the “Bargain Bungalow” was up for sale and so the search began for a permanent home for the shop.  Two members of the club were in real estate and found out that the Salvation Army building was for sale for $2500 and the club purchased it in December 1972.   

The members and their husbands completed the needed repairs and remodeling to get the building ready to use.  When the moving day arrived, boxes filled with pots and pans and dishes were loaded on flat bed truck.  The clothes were also moved on the flat bed, still on their racks.  Members of the club drove behind in a car ready to jump out and pick up anything that fell off.  The Soroptimist Thrift Shop (its new name) opened in March 1973.  

By the late 1990’s the original Thrift Shop began to burst at the seams and it became apparent that for the comfort and safety of the members and customers a new building was needed.  At the same time, Anacortes had also outgrown its Public Library and new one was in the planning phase.  The club purchased the old children’s wing of the library (for which they had donated $15,000 when it was originally built) for $1 and arranged to have it moved to the new site which had been purchased just across the alley from the old building.  That moving day was very exciting.  The children’s library was approximately 2000 square feet of floor space, and it was all moved in one piece.  Once the building was in place on the new site, an additional 2000 square foot building was built attached to the library wing, creating a beautiful and productive new Thrift Shop.  The children’s library became the new retail area, and the new construction became the backroom for sorting and preparation of items, and a hospital equipment room, a meeting room, and storage.   

The new Soroptimist Thrift Shop was completed in May of 2002 and a huge gala opening was planned to celebrate.  During our first day in business we made over $3000.  What excitement that brought about!   

The club has recently purchased the house and the lot just east of the Thrift Shop to hold until space is needed for future expansion.  We have learned from experience that this project just keeps growing.