Welcome to the Box-Top Shops!
Whether you are a new customer, or one of our many regular customers, you may be interested in learning something about our organization.
At the beginning of World War One, a group of Topsfield ladies organized a Canning Club to preserve food for the war effort. At the conclusion of World War One in 1919, the Topsfield-Boxford Community Club was founded by these same ladies in the community. The club's mission was to sponsor a community nurse whose part-time services were needed for the two rural towns and schools.
Miss Lena McGinley was the first nurse hired by the club and to help finance her salary, the club charged members 50 cents a year to join the club. A luncheon meeting was held on the first Friday of every month. Advance reservations were required and members paid 25 cents each for the luncheon — the hospitality committee was responsible for cooking the meals. Following the luncheon, members spent the afternoon sewing articles of clothing to sell.
The next year, Miss Jeanette Gleason was hired by the club as the first nurse in Topsfield. She stayed on the job for a year and came back to Topsfield when she married Topsfield resident Ben Towne. She became a loyal member of the club, serving as a chairman of the Nursing Committee for over 20 years. Mrs. Plummer Barnard took her place as the town nurse for 20 years until her retirement in 1947. Ruth Barnard then took over as the nurse with an increasing amount of work every year as our towns continued to grow. It is impressive that the club was able to provide the visiting nurse with a new car every three years.
The Community Club shop operated for ten years in the old Grange Building on South Main St. in Topsfield where club members made aprons and all sorts of novelties that could be sold to make money for the cause. An abundant supply of donated rummage initiated the opening of the Thrift Shop in the old C&C Elliot building on Main St. in Topsfield in January of 1939. Over the next twenty years, donated merchandise was sold in several other locations in downtown Topsfield. Monthly rents were becoming expensive and other options became a priority.
In 1957, the club purchased a building on 7 School St. in Topsfield, which continues to be the club's permanent location. It was decided by the Board of Directors to operate both a Consignment Shop and a Thrift Shop so that unsold items that had been consigned could be moved to the thrift side to be sold at a reduced price. More space was necessary to accommodate the number of donations and consignments received so an addition to this building was completed in 1972. The purchase of the shop and the expense of the addition to the shop was paid in full by the club. It is impressive that the club has never had a mortgage. Also, because we area charitable non-profit organization, we do not pay real estate taxes on our land and building.
Many volunteers are needed to keep the shops operating; six telephone callers keep the two shops operating on 2.5 hour shifts with a total of 18 shifts to be filled each week. The Consignment Shop is under the direction of managers Susan Longo and Janet Kmetz. Better clothing, accessories, jewelry, furniture, and bric a brac is accepted on a 50-50 consignment basis. The Thrift Shop is run by several dedicated volunteers who price and then display the merchandise on the floor. Prices are extremely reasonable, and sales are held daily. Charitable giving goes to the VNA Care Network, the Councils on Aging in Topsfield and Boxford, Help for Abused Women and Children (HAWC), the Tri-Town Council, Windrush Farm, and other needy organizations. The club pays for a visiting nurse to staff the Elder Care Health Programs in Topsfield and Boxford - which are held several times a month. These clinics are open to Topsfield and Boxford residents 60 years of age and older.
We are grateful to all the club volunteers who had the vision to form a charitable organization back in 1919 to raise money for the war effort and later to pay for the services of a visiting nurse. Now 100 years later, we are please to fund many charitable organizations and causes from the sales from the shop.
"A Volunteer"
I'm proud...and I am most sincere
To tell folks, "I'm a volunteer!"
I'm sure, some think that I am rich,
I have so many clothes, of which
Some darling soul has had a fit
Because they put on weight...a bit,
Or just perhaps the color's wrong
And they decide, "Pass it along
So someone else, around the bend,
Is wearing something new to them."
It's fun to have a lot of clothes
To mix and match. I'm one of those!
I always try to look my best!
In something new, I'm happiest!
Sometimes I keep it just a while.
Good clothes are always still in style
I'm proud I'm helping VNA
And...I may need their help someday.
A secret that I'm proud to leak,
"It's from the BOXTOP...just last week
And when I tire of it...Lo
Back to the Boxtop it may go!"
"Where did you get your outfit dear?"
I bought it at my pet boutique.
"And where is that?" they often seek
And I must say, "The bargains there
No other shop can half compare."
I'm not embarrassed then, to say,
"It cost 3 dollars, yesterday."
I give a morning...here and there...
Make someone happy, from that chair...
They get a bargain...I feel good
And also, it is understood
I'm proud...and I am most sincere
To tell folks, I'm a VOLUNTEER
Helen DesChene
Co-President of the Boxford-Topsfield Community Club 2002-2003
A volunteer in many Topsfield Organizations
We are always eager to welcome new members into our club. We have four meetings a year with varied programs along with an annual luncheon meeting in May. Dues are $10 per household. Joining our club provides a wonderful opportunity to meet people and contribute to the community. Please consider being a member of our club; forms are available at the desk. Thank you for your patronage!
I'm proud...and I am most sincere
To tell folks, "I'm a volunteer!"
I'm sure, some think that I am rich,
I have so many clothes, of which
Some darling soul has had a fit
Because they put on weight...a bit,
Or just perhaps the color's wrong
And they decide, "Pass it along
So someone else, around the bend,
Is wearing something new to them."
It's fun to have a lot of clothes
To mix and match. I'm one of those!
I always try to look my best!
In something new, I'm happiest!
Sometimes I keep it just a while.
Good clothes are always still in style
I'm proud I'm helping VNA
And...I may need their help someday.
A secret that I'm proud to leak,
"It's from the BOXTOP...just last week
And when I tire of it...Lo
Back to the Boxtop it may go!"
"Where did you get your outfit dear?"
I bought it at my pet boutique.
"And where is that?" they often seek
And I must say, "The bargains there
No other shop can half compare."
I'm not embarrassed then, to say,
"It cost 3 dollars, yesterday."
I give a morning...here and there...
Make someone happy, from that chair...
They get a bargain...I feel good
And also, it is understood
I'm proud...and I am most sincere
To tell folks, I'm a VOLUNTEER
Helen DesChene
Co-President of the Boxford-Topsfield Community Club 2002-2003
A volunteer in many Topsfield Organizations
We are always eager to welcome new members into our club. We have four meetings a year with varied programs along with an annual luncheon meeting in May. Dues are $10 per household. Joining our club provides a wonderful opportunity to meet people and contribute to the community. Please consider being a member of our club; forms are available at the desk. Thank you for your patronage!