When Paige Wright joined the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary in 2005, she knew she had what it takes to make the Army Thrift Store’s boutique a success.
“When I went to the Auxiliary,” she said, “I knew I could help.”
She began hand-picking the donated clothes that met high standards in cleanliness, quality and style to place in a section of the store called “Ruth’s Boutique.” She tags them with prices, sorts them according to size, displays them on new hangers and helps customers make their selections.
The owner of The Blythe House in Washington, N.C., a women’s apparel shop formerly in Kinston, Wright has brought her fashion experience to the store.
But she doesn’t volunteer simply to run a clothing outlet. All the proceeds from the boutique support community youth efforts — such as scholarships, after-school programs, summer camp for needy children and playground equipment — as well as equipment for the Salvation Army’s office and chapel, said Margaret Perry, a member of the Women’s Auxiliary.
“This is our main money-making project, and Paige Wright has given numerous hours to it,” Perry said.
She’s been the “backbone of the boutique,” Perry continued.
Ruth’s Boutique has been in the thrift store since the Army moved into its location on Boy Scout Road in November 1993. It was named after Ruth Guthrie, who founded the Women’s Auxiliary in Kinston in 1989 and was its first president.
Over the years, the boutique became less of an eye-catcher until Wright stepped in with her zeal and charm.
“(Wright) comes in like a whirlwind,” said Maj. Milton Wood of New Bern, manager of the thrift store. “She knows what she’s doing.”
Wood said the quality of clothes in the boutique has improved since Wright took over.
Jeanne White, a volunteer from Kinston, said Wright is a “terrific lady.”
“She is the best person that’s happened to this store,” White said, “because she knows what she’s doing (and) does a good job with the knowledge she has.”
Wright said the staff calls her the “Energizer bunny.”
She not only volunteers a couple of days a week in Kinston, but also in Washington she runs a home-decorating business — staging houses to make them attractive to sell.
The boutique carries jackets, blouses, pants, dresses, after-five wear, career clothes and suits in all sizes.
The store welcomes donations of high-end, gently used and dry-cleaned or sanitized clothing for the boutique, especially in larger women’s sizes, Wright said.
“Lots of times they’re pretty much bagged in dry-cleaning bags,” she said about the clothes people donate for the boutique. Donors often verbally specify they want their items placed in the boutique or they attach a note on the donations.
With fewer donors, many of whom were Auxiliary members who have died, there have been fewer donations of high quality to support the youth programs.
“That’s why I go that extra step to help them,” Wright said about the Auxiliary, “because it’s personal satisfaction and passion, because I enjoy doing it.”
Meet Me Monday:
Who: Paige Wright, Washington native and La Grange resident
Age: 59
What: Ruth’s Boutique in the Salvation Army Thrift Store
Work: Volunteers at the boutique, owns The Blythe House in Washington
Family: Husband Walter Wright; Pet ‘Blythe,’ a Yorkshire terrier
Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter at MargaretFishr.