WCC looking to create winter wonderland in store

The Norwood Women’s Community Committee (WCC) is celebrating the holiday season this year with its annual holiday sale starting on the last day of November.

That does mean, however, that there will be many scheduling changes to the WCC Thrift Shop’s usual hours.

The tradition goes back decades for the group, which itself goes back 101 years. Shea said it basically came out of the thrift store getting a deluge of holiday-themed donations before the Christmas season, and so they thought they might as well lean into it.

WCC Volunteer Laurie Shea said this year, they must have leaned pretty hard.

“We have more this year than I think I’ve ever seen,” she said. “We collect them all year long, we store them, and then we pull them out for the Holiday Sale. We close the shop for the last week of November, which is the week of Thanksgiving, and we turn the whole place into a winter wonderland Christmas shop. We have ornaments, trees, cards, mugs, lights, you name it, whatever Christmas thing you can name, we have it all.”

Shea said the WCC really gets into the holiday spirit.

“If you’ve never been, it’s something to see,” she said. “It’s amazing the stuff that we get. People that buy new holiday stuff? You’ll never need to do that again… I mean I’m a Christmas crazy person. I love Christmas stuff. I have lights everywhere, coco, three trees, and I was just blown away by how much stuff they have.”

Shea said though it is a challenge every year to decorate. “Can you imagine having to organize your decorations every year, but every year it’s a completely different and new batch of lights and ornaments?”

“It’s a lot of work,” she said with a laugh. “We literally turn the whole store over to Christmas stuff.”

Shea said they will stop taking donations on Nov. 7 to allow the regular stock to dwindle; basically it means less to replace with Christmas items. To that end, all items will be half price starting Nov. 11 on open days until Nov. 21 (Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays). From Nov. 23 to Nov. 27, the store will be closed while the WCC decorates.

Shea said this year, because the line is often “around the block,” they have extended operating hours for the sale on Nov. 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (formerly 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon).

“Our goal is to not have to pack it up again,” she said.

The WCC uses the thrift store as a way to help fundraise for local community initiatives, like the Conservation Law Foundation, the Neponset River Watershed, Earth Day, beautification and the WCC’s annual scholarship program.

Shea said the organization is only there to help the community.

“All the money raised goes right back into the community,” she said. “When you shop there, know that the money is going for good.”

For more information and store hours, go to https://gvimes.link/nrwdwcc