“The heart of a volunteer is never measured by the size but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.” DeAnn Hollis
When I came across this quote some time back, and as I prepared to write this article, I was reminded of how fitting it is for all of the volunteers that have taken Jazzy Junque from a once-a-year seasonal sale, to the beautiful upscale, home decor resale store that it is today. If not for the depth of their commitment, we could not have made it this far. And boy, have we come a long way.
And so, here we are ten years later. Bigger and more beautiful than ever. In the past nine months or so, we have made some wonderful additions to our store. In February of this year, Michelle Willie was hired as our Retail Manager. Michelle had worked as one of our part-time cashiers for several months; however, due to her extensive retail experience as a store manager with Dress Barn, our continued growth, and plans for the future, we knew she would be perfect in assuming more responsibilities for the store. Michelle has been a wonderful addition. As noted by Odette D’Agostino, Board liaison to the store, “Michelle gives her full attention to our volunteers, customers and the needs of the store.” Michelle has exciting plans to continue to improve processes and the shopping experience at Jazzy Junque. She also intends to get out in the community to help share the good news about the store and all that it offers. “We always welcome shoppers and volunteers,” she said.
We have also made improvements in other areas. Right before COVID hit, we were planning to install a new point-of-sale system for the store. The original system was outdated and could not meet, nor keep up with, the demands of the store. As luck would have it, both the COVID crisis and the supply chain problems interrupted our plans until August of this year. We now have a state-of-the-art system that is both user friendly for our staff and volunteers, and easily adaptable for future needs. The feedback from everyone has been very positive. As Michelle put it, “It’s a game changer for all of us. We just love the new system.”
Another exciting bit of news is the addition of gift cards to the shopping experience. Many of our customers had been asking for this option; however, it wasn’t until the addition of the new system that we were able to add this feature. Customers can now buy gift cards in any denomination.
There are not enough words to show our appreciation to all of the volunteers and staff who have brought Jazzy Junque to where it is today. All net proceeds from the store go directly to support the programs at New Danville. To say that we could not do it without them would be an understatement. For this reason, we are committed to supporting the needs of Jazzy Junque and continuing to enhance the shopping experience for all of our valued customers.
