2013 - The Story of Thrift
Here is one of the very first photos we saw in 2012 of the space that we are now in. Opening this store was a God-sized dream, and God has been faithful every step of the way.
​
Many Hands CEO, Tim Brand, met Christi Gabhart in Fort Dodge to pitch her his BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) of opening a ministry-based thrift store. She said yes and the idea of Many Hands Market was born.
In another step of faith, the team listened to God's call and moved forward with the bigger building, having no idea how they were going to fill it. Both the outside and inside of this former K-Mart went under complete transportation. What started as a 14,000 foot store has been transformed into an over 20,000 foot store.
​
Once we had the outside done and the walls done...we had to get to work on installing fixtures to bring the store to life! We have so much gratitude for all of those who played a part in this. There were fixtures donated and volunteers who helped clean, organize, and put items on shelves.
Another question for us when opening this store was, will there be enough stuff? To open and maintain a full store we had to trust that God would provide the generous people who would donate their things. and HE DID! Over and over again, we have been blown away by the generosity of many. Take a look through these photos that highlight some of our very first donations in 2013.
The support from the Spencer community in the first year we were open blew our expectations out of the water. From volunteers serving to customers shopping, generous donors, and everything in between! It has only grown over the last decade. Spencer was the foundation of our thrift world, allowing us to open four additional stores in Clive, Grimes, Indianola, and Merle Hay.
Our purpose for our stores is to ignite generosity locally and globally through love in action. Globally, we support the work of Many Hands in Haiti and the expansion into Abaco. Over the last 10 years, we have partnered with many local nonprofits to bless the work they are doing in their local community. Since opening in 2013, our Spencer Market has donated over $60,000 in cash donations locally. In addition, we have given out thousands of dollars worth of vouchers and in-kind donations. Since 2016, all of our stores have donated over $70,000 locally. We are humbled to partner with our amazing community to ignite this generosity!
As we reflect on 10 years, we can't help but smile when thinking of all the wonderful people who have been on this journey with us.
​
To our amazing customers, thank you for supporting us every step of the way! To those who have donated your STUFF, we literally wouldn't be here with out you. Thank you for igniting generosity with us. To our team, our staff, and volunteers, you are the heartbeat of our mission and our store. Thank you for all the ways you have served us and the people we serve locally and globally.