After a 14-month closure, Kit ‘N Kaboodle Thrift reopens

By Arthur Vidro
Correspondent
During the COVID-19 pandemic, owners of small shops have navigated a difficult and potentially perilous course to stay in business. Here’s the story of one shop’s reopening and the preparation that went into the decision.

CLAREMONT — After being shut for roughly 60 weeks, Kit ‘N Kaboodle Thrift reopened on Wednesday.

Prior to that, the shop was last open on March 14, 2020, the day after Governor Sununu issued a state of emergency, and about a week before non-essential businesses were required to close.

We consumers notice when shops shut down or open back up, alter their days or hours, or methods of operation, but we seldom put ourselves in the shoes of the proprietors.

If we did that, we’d realize it’s a difficult decision for a conscientious proprietor to decide when, or if, to reopen during a pandemic. A businessperson has a lot to consider. It’s not a cavalier decision.

With chain stores, the business operators have all their weighty decisions made for them by corporate headquarters far away.

But for an owner-operated shop, it’s all up to the proprietor.

First the business and proprietor must survive the period of being closed. That starts with the health of the people there and the finances of the business.

Fortunately, Kit ‘N Kaboodle Thrift proprietress Laurie Wallace and her family have stayed mostly healthy through the pandemic.

But there were challenges.

“My adult children lost their paternal grandfather to COVID last year, so we took the pandemic very seriously,” Wallace said. “I have health concerns and my children have been very protective of me. We mask up and take all the precautions. My family hasn’t gathered in person for over a year. We did Christmas and my mom’s 85th birthday by Zoom. We were all recently vaccinated; this makes us feel a little more at ease. However, we don’t want to be complacent when there are still so many who refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated.”

Wallace has not had to worry about employees. She was always the sole worker. But she would receive occasional help from friends and family members.

“My 86-year-old-mother was helping me several days a week before COVID,” Wallace said. “Even though she’s been vaccinated, I am not going to let her help me tag clothing for a while. It’s not worth the risk.”

One can’t plan too far ahead during a pandemic. One doesn’t know what will or will not occur next month or next week.

During the shutdown, Wallace says, “a few regular patrons reached out by e-mail and social media asking when I would be open again. When I ran into my regulars at the grocery store, they kept asking when I’m going to reopen. They told me they miss me and my shop, which is good! Some were anxious to bring me donations. Many people – myself included – have been stuck at home cleaning out their closets, which frightens me a little. I recently read articles stating that since COVID began, thrift shops are drowning in donations. Some people are bringing to thrift shops items that should be tossed.”

Clothing no longer in suitable condition used to be brought elsewhere, such as clothing dumpsters. But now thrift shops are seeing their share.

“I worry as the big yellow Planet Aid bins all disappeared with the pandemic,” Wallace said. “There were at last five of these in Claremont alone. People really utilized them for their less-than-perfect textiles. Throwing clothes away costs money and is harmful to the environment. Small thrift shops can’t afford the added expense of excess trash removal. I was never a fan of the Planet Aid bins, but they did serve a purpose.”

Wallace had considered reopening earlier.

“I was hoping to reopen last fall,” she recalls, “but then the COVID numbers in our area started rising.”

Only now do the waters look safe enough for Wallace to reopen.

“Safety is my top priority,” she admits.

That’s why she has made some changes to her operation.

“I am adjusting my hours to a four-day workweek (Wednesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.) and will have restrictions in place for a while. Masks will be required, no exceptions. The fitting room and playroom will be closed, which some will find disappointing. As a one-man band, I can’t disinfect these areas between customers. I also won’t be taking donations for a while. I have plenty of inventory and need to dig out.”

Also, no more than ten people allowed in at a time.

A major obstacle for proprietors of closed shops is paying the rent. Whether for a business or a home, rent must still be paid (even if some government programs allow for delayed payments). Landlords still have to pay their property taxes and still need to collect the rent.

A closed store brings in no revenue to cover rent. So Wallace turned to loans and her own savings.

“It was nerve-wracking at times,” she admits. “I applied for a low-interest small business loan through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). I also applied for, and received, an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan. There were certain requirements for this loan, one of which is living in a low-income community – which Claremont is.”

Borrowing money to keep alive the prospect of reopening down the road is a bit of a gambit. A lot can happen to prevent a reopening, such as illness, injury, or not being allowed to renew your lease. Any unexpected problem could hinder the repayment of the loan. Put yourselves in a proprietor’s shoes. It’s not an easy call.

“I also qualified for unemployment,” Wallace said, “and took some funds from my retirement to help make ends meet. I was able to continue paying my rent at the store along with my insurance and utilities.”

Borrow money? Dip into retirement funds? Eventually electing to reopen? These questions all require difficult decisions.

But now she and Kit ‘N Kaboodle Thrift – located at 16 Tremont St., along one side of the Claremont Opera House – are back in business. She’s happy to have customers again – all of them masked – and says she is “re-acclimating” to running the shop.

“It’s like riding a bicycle. It all comes back.”

Wallace continues to give part of the shop’s proceeds to the Sullivan County Humane Society.

At the time of the shutdown, the pandemic “was surreal and very anxiety provoking,” Wallace recalled. “There were so many unknowns. 2020 was a roller-coaster ride and I hate roller coasters!”

Arthur Vidro is a financial correspondent for The Eagle Times and author of “EQMM Goes to College,” which appears in the May/June 2021 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.