Since 2008, my “Passion Project” has been working with the Homeless Coalition located in Charlotte County (the “Coalition”). The Coalition is an amazing organization whose mission is to end hunger and homelessness in our community. It does this through myriad programs including serving hot meals every day to individuals and families, a weekly pantry providing food to those in need, plus providing counseling services to help people find permanent housing and receive benefits they may be entitled to. It also coordinates admission to addiction recovery programs. They have a 52- bed shelter, which includes four private units for families. It is one of the most comprehensive organizations designed to help people get their life together that I know of in our community. Its focus is to provide a hand up, not a hand out. My involvement has been volunteering and serving on the board of directors beginning in 2008, then serving two terms as president, and now serving as an emeritus board member. I served as president during one of the most challenging periods in terms of heightened need, in 2010–2012 during the Great Recession. It was a struggle at times to keep the lights on. During that time, I realized we were missing a key income stream that other successful local nonprofits, like Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity and St. Matthews House in Naples, had that set themselves apart when it came to sustainability — an earned income stream . Any nonprofit expert will advise you that in order to have long-term sustainability, you must have three streams of income. At the time I served as president, we only had two: donations and grants. The analogy often used is: “Did you ever try to sit on a two-legged stool?” Pretty tough to do. Right in front of my eyes in my community, I could see the power of having that third leg of earned income. Habitat has four thrift stores, and I can’t even keep track of all the earned income streams that St. Matthew’s House has from thrift stores to the No. 2 caterer in Naples, and even a hotel and job training center. Back in 2012, the Coalition had nothing. So after serving as president, I headed up a committee of board members and staff to come up with a plan to develop a stream of earned income. The first attempt was bingo. It was easy to set up with little investment required. While it was successful on a small scale, we quickly realized it was not going to bring in any meaningful income. That’s when we decided to pursue a thrift store. The challenge was that no one on our Coalition Corner: The Next Chapter for Fabulous Finds!
committee knew anything about opening a thrift store and it took four years of research, planning, writing a formal business plan and fundraising before we opened the doors to Fabulous Finds in February of 2017. If you have ever opened up your own business, you know it is exciting and scary at the same time. As a business consultant and bankruptcy attorney, I knew that 50% of all small businesses fail in the first five years. In this case, failure was not an option since the long-term survival of the Coalition was dependent upon Fab Find’s success. It was slow going at first, especially in the summer months when the snowbirds were gone, and we not only lost customers but volunteers as well, and as it was for all small-business owners, the COVID-19 shutdown was terrifying. Nevertheless, I am excited to share with you the good news that not only did Fabulous Finds survive its first five years and COVID, but the Coalition just opened a new and expanded store, doubling its total space from 5,200 square feet to 11,400 square feet. The new store opened at the end of January of this year and includes a boutique section with designer clothes, handbags, and accessories. The store also has a fabulous selection of clothes, furniture, and housewares. I just picked up a great expandable dining room table I was looking for and found an old-school stovetop espresso maker, which brought back memories from my childhood family holidays! If you would like to find fabulous deals in a fun environment while also helping out those in need in our community ( all profits stay right here in our community ), then I invite you to visit Fabulous Finds’ new location in the former LTM Party Store, across from Lowe’s Plaza in Port Charlotte, at 1931 Tamiami Trail. For more information about the Coalition and to learn about ways you can donate or volunteer, please visit their website at CCHomelessCoalition.org . –Mark Martella, Esq.
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