Brownwood Bulletin
At Good Samaritan Ministries’ Donation Center, about a half-dozen staff and volunteers worked at Good Samaritan Ministries Donation Center, busily sorting items including clothing, shoes and toys Monday afternoon.
The men and woman at the Donation Center, located at 200 W. Chandler in downtown Brownwood, maintained a stream of happy conversation as they worked.
“Let’s see what kind of toys are in this here.”
“What’s in here … beads!” This is going to be a record day.
The Donation Center, housed in a facility that served several purposes in previous years, is marking its one-year anniversary.
Every few minutes Monday afternoon, another vehicle pulled into the drive-through donation portico outside the building. A staff member or volunteer walked outside to greet each vehicle’s occupants and collect the items being donated.
The Donation Center, an important part of the Resale Store Ministry, celebrated its first anniversary on January 15.
The Donation Center located at 200 West Chandler accepts and processes non-food donations for Good Samaritan. The Center handles and sorts over 50,000 pounds of items such as clothing, linens, shoes and housewares each month. The Donation Center staff unloads an average of 30 cars each day. While the majority of donated items make their way into the GSM Resale Store, items not utilized locally are shared with other charities, specifically Charity Shoes, an international relief organization from Dallas and Arms of Hope supporting the Medina Children’s Home.
Levi (left) and Shawn Packer own Saturdays in downtown Brownwood. [Photo by Derrick Stuckly]The business of antiques is one of the most competitive in the retail market, with particular establishments attempting to carve out their own unique identity. One of Brownwood’s newest business – Saturdays – has honed in on its niche.
According to its Facebook page, Saturdays is described as “an oldies and oddities shop specially curated for the designer, collector, and treasure hunter.”
Saturdays owner Levi Packer further elaborated on the concept, stating, “The best way I can describe my business to someone who has never been in here is we are an antique store, but I view it more as a creative business. Instead of walking into this and having to pick through a bunch of stuff and try and piece something together or just get it because it’s cheap, we try to actually show people how you can incorporate antiques and vintage and even modern into your particular style of décor,