Harrison Thorp
Thursday, November 14, 2013 9:12 am
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MILTON - Alyssa Satawake came to Milton from California with nothing but the clothes on her back and what she carried in bags.
“I moved into an apartment here in town, and I had nothing,” she says.
Then she met the Sathers, a couple from Bangor, Maine, who opened the Helping Hands liquidation center at the site of the former Milton Dam Second Hand in downtown Milton.
The Sathers may call it a liquidation center, but what it really is is a center of hope for people like Satawake, who was able to set up her apartment quite cozily, thanks to their generosity.
The Helping Hands carries an assortment of used clothing, footwear, kitchen appliances, household goods and furniture.
There’s also an assortment of knickknacks, most of which sell for $1.
In fact, pretty much everything at the store goes for a $1, except for kitchen appliances which are $2 and furniture which can go as high as $25.
But if folks can’t afford the $1, Beulah and Rich Sather will just give it to them, free. No strings attached.
“If someone comes in here needing household stuff, like curtains, sheets, pots, pans, plates, utensils – basic household stuff – and they can’t pay for it, we just give it to them,” Beulah Sather said on Wednesday.
“There’s a lot of poor people around here,” Rick Sather said. “We want to help them.”
Yesterday Rick Sather and a helper were unloading a U-Haul truck filled with household goods, everything from mattresses to furniture to lamps.
The Sathers say they’re not looking to get rich.
“You don’t get rich in this business,” Beulah Sather grinned.
In fact, all they’re looking to cover with the store’s profit is the cost of the rent, the heat and the utilities.
She said they may not get rich, but giving to the needy is not their profession, it’s their passion.
“It’s very rewarding,” Beulah Sather said. “I’ve had kids coming in and telling me they’re taking sheets of their windows (because I gave them curtains),” she said.
The Sathers plan on moving to New Hampshire from Bangor and said they would like to open up several more Helping Hands in the coming years.
Satawake, who now volunteers at the shop, agrees it’s a great concept.
“Everything they have is very affordable, it’s not overprieced,” she said. “And they’'ll help you out. It’s great for young couples.”
People who want to donate clothing or household goods are welcome to drop them off, Rick Sather said.