CAL offers insight into new store

SANDPOINT – Psssst.

Want a sneak peek at the new Bizarre Bazaar, the Community Assistance League’s upscale thrift store?

You’re in luck, because CAL is hosting a soft opening event for the popular store, donating all proceeds from the sale of the store’s items to local students and nonprofits in the form of scholarships and grants.

The store, at 114 S. Boyer Ave., next to SmokeSmith, is open today, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bizarre Bazaar is the primary funding arm of the Community Assistance League, a mainstay in the county’s community services sector for nearly 50 years, officials said.

CAL officials said the store, which has helped the long-standing nonprofit donate nearly $2.5 million in grants and scholarships over the years, is successful because of a unique partnership with the community. First, the store is run by CAL volunteers. Second, the community shops at the store. And third, friends and neighbors from around the area donate high-quality, well-preserved goods for CAL to sell at Bizarre Bazaar.

However, moving a business is a more complicated and time-consuming project than moving an individual or family, which may require several weeks of packing and then loading a moving truck.

“We actually started almost 2 1/2 years ago,” said former CAL President Beth Drain. “There was a lot of uncertainty about the future of our Church Street location, so we decided it would be best to look for an alternative location. A small team scoured Sandpoint looking for rental, sales and raw land properties that could meet our specific needs.”

Current CAL President Joyce Price said the nonprofit feels compelled to make a financially wise decision.

“Not only are we a nonprofit, but we know the community relies on us to fund grants and scholarships every spring,” she said. “We wanted – no, we had to – be careful with every penny we would spend.”

That meant strategically saving for several years in case CAL needed to move the store. It also meant weighing the decision to move against current and future costs and convenience for customers. And it meant doing it all with volunteers, Price said.

Cherie Warber, the store’s longtime co-manager, praised Bizarre Bazaar’s members and department heads for carefully mapping out what needed to be moved and how to do it. Husbands and friends also pitched in.

Among them were Marilyn Brown’s husband Rudy and Linda Zinn’s husband Tom, both of whom had experience in the construction industry.

“They patiently managed every detail of the ‘tenant improvements’ necessary to transform a taekwondo studio into a physical therapy center and a retail store,” Warber said.

“But it’s been our CAL members who have been doing the hard work over the last few weeks – sorting, packing, transporting and restocking,” she added. The public – our customers – have only seen about a third of our space. What goes on behind the scenes is staggering: inventory, out-of-season items, and the equipment and paperwork that go into any nonprofit.”

When donations come in, volunteers sort the items and prepare them for sale, said co-manager Carol Visger. That means everything from washing and ironing to cleaning, polishing and repairing the items.

“This is all behind-the-scenes work that customers never see,” Visger said. “And it’s all done by volunteers.”

Saturday’s unofficial opening will give CAL a chance to work through the issues of the new layout and new store and familiarize customers with the new location. The Boyer Avenue location has 13 designated parking spaces, as well as street parking at Lake and Pine streets.

The official opening is planned for September 7th.