URBANDALE, IOWA -- 14 years ago, Mary Holvik stepped through the front door of a new thrift store in Urbandale for the first time. On July 8th, she walked out for the final time as she begins her second retirement and a move to the east coast to be closer to her grandkids.
“Pretty much since the store’s been open, she’s been here,” Giving Tree store manager Michele Bronson said as she prepared to say goodbye to Mary.
After retiring from a 35-year nursing career, Mary was looking for something new in 2011. “I saw an advertisement in the newspaper when it was first opening up and I thought: ‘That looks like a good place to volunteer'”, says Mary. 14 years later, she says it was the right choice. “It’s been great,” she says.
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In her 14 years, she saw the store on 100th Street triple in size and steadily build a foothold in the community.
“When I first came in, I brought my book in and sat here and read my book when we didn’t have customers. Now you don’t have that chance,” she laughs, “It’s just gotten a little busier, then a little more busier. That’s what we want and what we need to bring in the funds for the different things that we support.”
For as long as she can remember, Mary has spent each Tuesday morning greeting customers and running the cash register at Giving Tree.
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“Mary’s been here every week without fail,” says Michele, “The only time she’s not been here is when there is a snowstorm and I call and tell her to stay home.”
Mary’s commitment to her volunteer shifts made her a familiar face in the neighborhood.
“When you work one particular day you notice the same customers," Mary says, “One of the things I’ve noticed is that the longer that we’ve been open, the more men came in. I think they were introduced by their wives and now they come in by themselves.”
Mary says she’ll miss those customers and her fellow volunteers equally. “I think the customers and the people that work here. There’s a lot of good volunteers and it’s just fun. There’s something new every week,” she says.
Mary says she’s proud that she played a small role in creating a unique shop that keeps the customers coming back. “Customers come in and say, ‘it just feels like a retail shop’. It’s so clean and so well organized,” she says, “People come in often enough that they’ll notice that things have been changed around.”
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She’s also leaving a little bit of her home behind as she and her husband say goodbye to Iowa and downsizes from her home to an apartment. “When you’ve been in one place for 20 years, you get a lot of stuff,” she says, “I’ve been donating to Giving Tree as we go along. I’ve donated to a few other places, too, or else I’d be able to restock the whole store!”
Those donated items aren’t the only thing she’s leaving behind. “Mary is going to be missed dearly," says Michele.
Mary says her top priority right now is to make it through her big move and finally get unpacked. Once she’s settled, she hopes to find something close to the Giving Tree in her new hometown.
“I hope to find something in the same category to volunteer for.”
