JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The Club at Andrews looked more like the set of a retail clothier's commercial Tuesday, as the Andrews Thrift Shop employees and volunteers modeled some examples of the clothes available at the newly remodeled store during an Andrews Officer Spouses Club monthly luncheon.
Arlis Perry, AOSC President and event emcee, stressed the quality of the merchandise available in effort to combat the negative connotations that often go along with the words Thrift Shop.
"Since it is a thrift shop, I think some people have that negative image of the products," Mrs. Perry said. "It's definitely second hand, but the models here today let people see some of the high quality items we have."
The items the models displayed, some of which were donated while others sold on consignment, were all less than $20, and all were still in style, Mrs. Perry said.
"It's a great opportunity for everyone involved," said Mrs. Cheri Rizer, wife of Col. Ken Rizer, 11th Wing/Joint Base Andrews commander. "Those who are selling on consignment can make a little money on items they don't need anymore and customers coming to the shop can get quality items at a great price."
The profits from the thrift shop, which is run by members of the AOSC, go back to servicemembers on base and needs in the local community.
This year, the AOSC awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships to children and spouses of servicemembers and will honor them with a scholarship social May 17, Mrs. Rizer said.
During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the AOSC donated more than $50,000. Nearly 50 percent of the donations went directly to causes on Andrews, such as the Sergeant's Association Golf Tournament, the Fisher House here and various annual awards ceremonies.
The rest was split between local community causes such as playground equipment for a local preschool, and global outreach such as Red Cross donations for the Haiti and Chile disaster relief funds.
Another great resource at the thrift shop is the free uniform items for enlisted members E-5 and below, said Mrs. Perry. While selection might be hit or miss, members can often find gems like mess dress uniforms free of charge.
The thrift shop is a gift that keeps on giving, in a manner of speaking.
"It's a great place to go to get good items at a reasonable price while supporting the AOSC, which distributes the money back into the base and local community," said Mrs. Rizer.
For more information about the AOSC, call (301) 735-3533 or visit them on the web at www.andrewsosconline.com.