Acres of Hope ReNew Stores reopens in Roseville for Christmas Extravaganza

For those looking to get a jump on holiday shopping, the Acres of Hope ReNew Stores have you covered. Acres of Hope focuses on helping women and children overcome cycles of homelessness and trauma. The ReNew Stores in Roseville is a thrift boutique offering a variety of items and has a mission "to fund Acres of Hope through a ministry of renewal and restoration," as all proceeds cover 40 percent of the financial support for main campus in Auburn. According to Director of Retail Operations Becki Darnell, the boutique has four flips throughout the year to highlight the spring, summer, fall and Christmas seasons. Wednesday marked the boutique's grand re-opening for its Christmas Extravaganza Sale. Darnell said the first day of the Christmas sale is "the busiest day of the year" for the boutique and shared there was a line of 40 people waiting, with the first customer arriving at 6:30 a.m., for the store to open its doors at 9:30. "It's the best place to shop," said Kathy Schairer, a customer shopping Wednesday afternoon. "It's the first place I go to before I go anywhere else, and I tell all my friends to come here first before they go anywhere." Darnell said customers refer to the boutique as an "upscale thrift store" due to volunteers and staff taking pride in the items sold. Darnell said items are cleaned and clothes are steamed before being placed on the sales floor. "We definitely could not do this without our volunteers," Darnell said. "All of them have a true passion for Acres." Mary Anne Zbyczik, who has volunteered at the boutique for 11 years, describes the store as a joyful place and enjoys being able to serve the women and children of Acres of Hope while creating relationships with her coworkers and regular customers. "It's joyful all the time. I think when you can come to a place and you know that it's always going to be a happy place and that your regulars are going to come in and say hi to you. … The joy that all of us feel and being able to serve the girls," Zbyczik shared as her favorite part of volunteering at the ReNew Stores. Store Manager Bianca Ovando said giving back to the community is important to her, and the store allows her to do her part to help women experiencing homelessness. "It is close to my heart," she said. "We can help from afar and we help every day. Our sales every day contribute to Acres of Hope." Wednesday also marked the first day the store was open following an expansion that connects the store as one space. According to Darnell, the store previously operated as two disconnected spaces for the clothing and home goods, with a restaurant in between. The restaurant space has been transformed and the boutique now operates as one store made up of four suites that feature various goods, including clothing, home decor, CDs and DVDs, books, toys, linen and furniture. There is also a clearance section referred to as The Closet. Jackie Turner, minister of communication and church relations for Acres of Hope, said the sale will remain through Christmas. "It will constantly be refilled with Christmas supplies so people can come and start gathering their items that they need," Turner said. "We really want people to have hope this season, especially when there's so much going on in society. We want to be that one place where they can walk through and feel like, 'Man, I can shop,' and it's a joyous experience." The Acres of Hope ReNew Stores is located at 1725 Santa Clara Drive in Roseville and is open from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday. Donations are accepted from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Ovando said the boutique "is a great place to donate their goods they care about and they don't want to let go. It goes to a great home. It goes to a great purpose." More information and the volunteer application can be found at acresofhopeonline.org/renewstores.