In the end, plenty was in store for Girls Inc.

SWAMPSCOTT – They planned on being open for two months and making modest profit, but a pop-up thrift store to benefit Girls Inc. of Lynn closed this month after extending its stay in Vinnin Square and seeing patrons extend their wallets.”We had one very optimistic gentleman who was like, ?you’ll make $10,000,’ and Nikki (Rose) and I looked at each other and said, ?maybe $3,000,'” said Christine Meninno, a member of the Girls Inc. of Lynn board of directors who, along with Rose, managed the shop. “We ended up raising $39,000, which was just above and beyond our expectations when we started.”Meninno and others involved agreed that the store raised community spirit in addition to money.”It was one of those unexpected outcomes that we weren’t thinking about,” said Deb Ansourlian, executive director of Girls Inc. of Lynn. “We are very pleased.”Ansourlian and Meninno both credited Rose with the idea for the store. Rose explained that she was injured during her soccer season last year, and was looking for a community-service opportunity since she couldn’t play sports. Rose said she had heard positive things about Girls Inc.’s after-school programs and asked if she could coach soccer there.That didn’t work out, but Rose came up with the idea of a charitable thrift store when cleaning out her room one day. So she floated the idea and came in contact with Meninno.Meninno had previously owned a vintage clothing shop in Marblehead called Crimson and Clover, so she had experience in the thrift-retail world.The two found a vacant storefront in the Swampscott Mall that they could use rent-free. (Rose’s father, Andrew, is one of two principals in Centercorp Retail Properties, which owns the mall.) They started soliciting donations of clothing and accessories to sell and recruited volunteers to staff the store when it opened for business on July 9.”It was a big undertaking for them, it was a big undertaking for Nikki,” Meninno said. “They learned that small business is seven days a week, and it’s just constantly in motion and there’s always something to do.”As the store’s Sept. 1 closing date approached and the teenage volunteers got ready to go back to school, there was more to sell … and to do. So Meninno recruited adult volunteers who kept the store open until Nov. 1.On the store’s final night, the volunteers held a celebration as the remaining items were stuffed into bags selling for $5 apiece.”You could just feel the sense of community that was present there,” Ansourlian said.The store presented Girls Inc. with a check for $37,000. The final count including the last few days of business added $2,131 to the tally, Meninno noted.Ansourlian said the money was a tremendous benefit; never having had a pop-up store, the organization hadn’t included any projected revenue from the project in its budgeting.Meninno said she wasn’t sure if they would do a store again. The space they used has been rented, and they would need another donated space. Plus, she said the end date (even though extended) made the commitment more bearable.Rose also said she did not necessarily want to continue a career in retail. She said her favorite part of the experience was getting to speak Spanish to many of the store’s customers.”I take Spanish in school and my family goes to Spain every year, but, other than in the classroom, I don’t get to use it very much,” Rose said. “I had to really break the barrier, but think they were really grateful that I was able to speak with them in their native language.”Rose said she enjoyed the experience.”It took a lot of time,” she said. “But it was definitely worth it.”