December 13, 2022
2022-12-13T00:00:00
31st and Commercial alley way
Soroptimist open thrift shop (1966)
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
The Bargain Bungalow, in a small rented house in the alley at 31st Street and Commercial Avenue, was opened for business by the Soroptimist Club of Anacortes on this date in 1966. The idea of a thrift shop came from Thelma Marani, Nina Antonious and Doris Tursi, who received much opposition from the membership. As Doris said later, “It took some persuasion to convince the club that it was a good idea. We had to personally guarantee that the club would not go in debt, and we never did. We didn’t make much at first, but we always managed to make expenses, which were $25 plus a few dollars in winter for Presto Logs.” Since then, the club has given about $1 million in scholarships, and more than 90 members and 40 volunteers run the shop.