2.14.22
We are pretty sure you’ve heard of the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, but have you heard of – or better yet- been to The Giving Tree?! The Giving Tree is a non-profit thrift shop unlike one you’ve ever seen, right here in Wake Forest! Founded in 2013 by 4 local moms, and run by an all-woman staff, The Giving Tree’s mission is to reduce, reuse, recycle, while providing essential funding for schools.
The comment we get most with new clients is “am I in a thrift shop?” as the look around our shop baffled, because our shop does not look like a thrift shop! We are proud to create a boutique look and feel to our shop, while offering gently used home goods items at thrift prices! Anyone may make a tax-deductible donation of clean, gently used, home goods items and décor to The Giving Tree. We sell these items, and all profits are donated annually back to the 14 k-12, public, private, and charter schools in Wake Forest! With this year’s upcoming donation in March, we will have given back just over $130,000 to the schools! Wow! The schools use this supplemental funding on updating uniforms, band equipment, art supplies, and now a days to help fund virtual learning and teacher support.
We change the look of our shop seasonally, with current trends, and as pieces sell, so the shop never looks the same for long! We take donations of holiday/seasonal items all year long. New items arrive at the shop daily, and just about everything is one of a kind; if you like it, grab it, because it won’t be here long! Our shop is small, so we focus strictly on home goods, décor, small furniture, books, and kids’ items. We do not take clothes, shoes, electronics (tv’s, printers, speakers, etc.), or large furniture. And this is where Julie and Space to Embrace come in! We’ve known Julie for about 5 years now. She volunteered with us several years ago, then became a part-time employee while she was starting Space to Embrace. As her business grew, she stepped back from working at The Giving Tree, but our working relationship only got stronger! Now, The Giving Tree is a drop off location for Space to Embrace! After Julie works her magic, decluttering, pairing down, and organizing her clients’ homes, any well-loved, home goods items are donated to The Giving Tree! Everyone wins! Julie’s clients can take comfort in knowing their once loved but no longer practical items will be in good hands with us as we take time to display them nicely to find them a new loving home. We also help Julie out if she is looking for something specific for a client, whether it be baskets for organizing, a vintage mug tree for a newly created home coffee station, or the perfect piece of wall art to bring a space together- more often than not, we will have just what she needs! Talk about a mutual relationship! We love to brag about Space to Embrace when our clients ask our advice on decorating or where to begin neatening up their homes. Julie is SO good at what she does- just check out her before and after photos on her Instagram, and while you’re on “the gram” give us a follow too @thegivingtreewakeforest! We are so happy to know and work with Julie and Space to Embrace and cannot recommend her enough!
