Ever set out to do Chanukah shopping for family and friends, only to wind up picking out gifts for yourself? That’s when the Jewish guilt sets in. Fortunately, there’s a place you can shop without feeling guilty for your purchases. At Ruth’s Closet in Owings Mills, shopping is a win-win proposition. An upscale resale boutique featuring high-quality women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry, accessories and more, Ruth’s Closet isn’t only a great place to find affordable designer duds, it’s also an enterprise that helps survivors of intimate partner violence and their children sheltered at the House of Ruth Maryland (HRM). On the store’s seventh anniversary, Jmore spoke with Kathleen Williams, the boutique’s acting store manager. Williams runs the store along with Jen Talbert, the store’s social enterprise director, and 25 volunteers and interns.
1. Why was there a need for Ruth’s Closet?
For 40 years, HRM has relied on donations from the community. From the donations, we’ve been able to provide clothing and personal care products for the women and children we’re sheltering. As the quantity of clothing donations grew, it became a challenge … and an opportunity. The challenge was how to manage the high volume of clothing donations, especially the items our clients couldn’t use. The opportunity was to use the unused donations to start a resale shop, a self-sustaining profitable business that could contribute financially to HRM. In 2009, HRM’s board gave staff a green light and Ruth’s Closet, a social enterprise of HRM, was the result.
2. How do the funds benefit HRM clients?
All profits from sales at Ruth’s Closet go toward program services for clients, survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and their children. Program services at HRM include our 24-hour hotline, our 84-bed shelter for women and children, and legal and clinical services. Last year, the boutique raised over $300,000 in revenue. Ruth’s Closet has been an innovative way for HRM to increase awareness in our community about the issue of IPV. Most women first visit the store because they’ve heard about the terrific clothing and great prices, but once they arrive they learn how shopping at Ruth’s Closet supports HRM and the women and children the organization serves. We like to refer to the experience at Ruth’s Closet as “guilt-free shopping.” Ruth’s Closet volunteers and shoppers, many of whom have a personal connection to the issue of IPV, know that the boutique is a safe space where a woman who is in an abusive relationship can disclose her situation and get help.
3. What’s the difference between a consignment shop and a resale boutique?
Consignment shops sell their clients’ clothing based on the shop’s contract, sharing a percentage of the proceeds with the client once the item sells. Ruth’s Closet is a women’s resale boutique, re-selling items donated by individuals, organizations and businesses. Since we are aligned with a nonprofit, we offer donors a receipt for tax-deduction purposes. You will find items at Ruth’s Closet consistent with the quality you’ll find at area consignment stores at competitive prices.
4. How can people make donations to the store?
We accept donations, in excellent condition, of women’s clothing, outerwear, footwear, accessories, jewelry and small décor and gift items during store hours on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. We also take monetary donations.
5. Future goals for Ruth’s Closet?
As we prepare to celebrate our seventh anniversary, we hope to expand the size of our store, allowing us to offer our shoppers a greater selection while staying in the Owings Mills area. We also anticipate opening a second retail outlet, a thrift store, in House of Ruth Maryland’s new Community Engagement Center on North Charles Street.
For information about House of Ruth Maryland and Ruth’s Closet, visit hruth.org.
Top photo: Kathleen N. Williams stands in Ruth’s Closet, a secondhand shop in Owings Mills where she is an assistant manager. Proceeds of Ruth’s Closet benefits House of Ruth Maryland. (Photo by Steve Ruark)
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