Circle of Love, a long-running domestic violence shelter in Greene County, has opened Second Chance Boutique, an upscale thrift store that COL Executive Director Kimberly Bennett called both “a sustainability project” and a "long-needed way to better connect with the community we serve."
The store at 939 Greensboro Rd., Eatonton, hosted an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 3, organized by the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce. Approximately two dozen supporters were on hand, surrounded by racks of women's and children's clothes, many with high-end labels, as well as outdoor and exercise wear, shoes, and a variety of household items.
"We've always had a donation center at our storage place to keep all the clothes, and because this lake community is so generous, we often had way more than we needed," Bennett said. "So, this is a way that we can use that excess to make more, get more funds."
She mentioned that women and children housed by Circle of Love can shop at SCB for free at any time, too, and added that two families had visited and shopped there earlier in the day.
For decades, Circle of Love has operated in an undisclosed location, with only local law enforcement and emergency services knowing its exact location, Bennett said. That secrecy is essential for the safety of the women and children it shelters, she explained; however, it does make it more difficult to accept donations or welcome new volunteers.
“Our clients are in residence with us, and we also have outreach clients,” Bennett explained. “But we’ve never been able to tell people where we are or how to help. This store gives us a place to say who we are, what we do, and how to get involved.”
Circle of Love supports abuse survivors in Putnam, Greene, Baldwin, Morgan, and Hancock counties, with more than 75 percent of the people housed being children who arrive with their mothers.
“People don’t realize that,” Bennett said. “A mother will come in with two or three children, and they come very quickly, often through police or hospitals, with very few belongings, if any at all.”
Fortunately, the shelter has been able to count on community donations to meet most immediate needs. Upon arrival at COL, clients can receive free grooming supplies, diapers, car seats, and other essential items, including luggage, Bennett explained.
“We always need luggage,” she stressed. “When people come to us, they usually come with nothing -- and we don’t sell luggage, ever.”
She added, though, that Lake Country’s generosity created its own challenge: typically, there are more donated items than the shelter could store or distribute.
After noting years ago that several of the other 45 certified domestic violence shelters in Georgia operated remote-location thrift stores to raise funds and handle overflow donations, she raised the idea with the COL board members in early 2020.
“They supported it, and I even found a lease in March that year, but then COVID struck, shutting everything down and putting the plan on hold for nearly four years," she said. "But this year we just said, 'We’re going to do it.'"
A friend tipped her off to the new shop’s location in eastern Putnam County, not far from the pyramid building, and now that COL has a retail home, it has already become not only a drop-off point for donations and a hub for volunteers but 'a fun community place, too,” Bennett said.
Circle of Love's Second Chance Boutique is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. For anyone experiencing domestic violence, COL can be reached at 706-453-4017 or by visiting colinc.org.