Lots of bargains— and fun at Oddz & Endz. Above: The Oddz & Endz crew – Sandi Furlow, Arvis Thompson, EvaLyn Carlson, Barb Jansen. (Not pictured Sharon Bloomquist). Far left: A lovely display of holiday décor. Left: There is a bit of everything at Oddz & Endz.
Having celebrated its one-year anniversary in June 2015, the independent nonprofit, Oddz & Endz, is a seemingly permanent asset to Cook County. I met with EvaLyn Carlson, who runs Oddz & Endz along with four other ladies, to hear the story of how the business came to be established. While Carlson admitted that there have been a few challenges connected to running the nonprofit, she and her coworkers have stuck to their motto, which is to just work hard and have fun, and they are still going strong.
Oddz & Endz is a pleasant environment for customers and volunteers alike; a place where the coffee is always on, creativity is encouraged, and volunteers are set loose to find their own niche within the store.
“Volunteers choose their time, the amount of time, and we have them tell us their passions,” Carlson explained. However, most important, she went on to say, is that “they have to like to have fun.”
One means of facilitating an atmosphere of lighthearted fun is Happy Hour. The event takes place the second Friday and Saturday of every month from 2-4 p.m. and features special sales on various item themes. For instance, one week might consist of special deals on tables while another may include Halloween costumes.
Oddz & Endz was founded in June 2014 when four motivated ladies, including Carlson, saw a need and decided to address it. A high cost of living can make it difficult for newcomers in Grand Marais to get settled in. To alleviate one facet of this dilemma, Oddz & Endz provides low cost furnishings like furniture, kitchen utensils, or beds.
In addition to providing affordable furnishings, Oddz & Endz also benefits the community by keeping it clean. They take in old furniture, kitchen utensils, and more. They are then able to either repurpose them to fill some other need or sell them to someone else who could use them.
“We resell, repurpose, and recycle,” Carlson said. “We can do our own repurposing so people can see what can be done.”
Oddz & Endz is set up in such a way that the potential for every item is plainly visible. In the hands of Carlson, Sharon Bloomquist, Arvis Thompson, Sandi Furlow, and Barb Jansen, a plethora of golf clubs becomes a fence, an old desk becomes an attractive yard decoration, and kitchen utensils become wind chimes. Creativity not only lends itself to the creation of unique furnishings, it also allows Oddz & Endz to meet the individual needs of the community.
Carlson shared a story of one woman who came in needing cupboards for her kitchen. Unfortunately, the ones at Oddz & Endz were far too big. Rather than sending the woman elsewhere, however, they were able to find an old piece of furnishing that, although not a cupboard, with some renovation satisfied that woman’s need nicely.
Because it is an independent nonprofit, Oddz & Endz staff is also able to be flexible and adapt to the individual needs of their customers.
“We don’t have a list of dos and don’ts,” Carlson explained. Rather, they do whatever is necessary to meet the needs of the community.
At the end of their first year in business, Oddz & Endz discovered they had been quite successful and were able to pour around $13,000 back into the community’s nonprofits. Each volunteer has the opportunity to influence how funds are dispersed as the profits from their service will go to the Cook County nonprofit of their choice.
“We all agree that what we do is making a difference in our community, and if we can’t make a difference, there’s no need to be here,” Carlson concluded.
Judging by the success of their first year, however, it is apparent that Oddz & Endz really is a much-needed service in Grand Marais and we are fortunate to have them.
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