CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
For nearly 50 years, The Purple Door has offered shelter and services to victims of domestic and sexual violence, but it was only a year ago that they decided to take a leap and open their resale shop. It's something they say has since helped spread the word about their mission even further.
While the shop has good finds that bring in people from all walks of life, store manager Christine Hoover says many of them don't realize the impact they’re making when they choose to shop there.
"They think we're just a regular resale shop, and then when they find out what the mission is it actually gets them more excited to support us,” Hoover said. “Then they'll tell us they have stuff they'll bring to us. Just getting the word out is definitely helpful."
Every dollar The Purple Door receives from the resale shop goes straight back to funding the services they provide to victims, such as shelter, legal advice and support groups.
President and CEO, Frances Wilson says the non-profit was inspired to open their resale shop after seeing that it worked for agencies similar to theirs around the state.
"We started thinking you know, 'We need to look at possibly getting money that is unrestricted.' or what if we have a grant that falls through,” Wilson said. “We are the only ones that do this kind of work in our area, and so we want to make sure that the free services we offer remain free. "
Since opening the resale shop, Hoover says she's truly seen just how much of an impact the non-profit has had on the community.
“Almost every day you will hear someone that will come in and tell you a story about how their, their sister, their mother, their neighbor their teacher, they know somebody that has received services from The Purple Door,” she said. “They even thank us for the work that we do, which definitely brings it back into focus about what we're meant to do here."
If you're interested in volunteering with The Purple Door or making a donation to their resale shop at 4202 South Alameda Street, you can visit their website.