08/09/2026
💛 A Little Note From My Heart About Jude’s Treasures 💛
I wanted to take a moment to explain something about our little store that some people may not realize.
Jude’s Treasures is not stocked entirely by donations. In fact, we work incredibly hard to find and purchase much of what you see in our store.
We pay to clean out homes. We go to auctions and sales. We purchase collections and items directly from people in our community. We drive to pick things up and bring them back to the store.
And that’s only the beginning.
Then comes the hauling, loading, unloading, sorting, cleaning, packing, pricing, organizing and finally finding a place for everything in the store. Sometimes an item has been moved several times before it ever reaches the sales floor!
It is A LOT of work — and Jude’s Treasures truly is a team effort. ❤️
Jude works incredibly hard at his regular job, often working 12-hour shifts, but still spends his days off and whatever time he can find helping with the store. He does so much behind the scenes with advertising, planning and everything else that goes into keeping Jude’s Treasures going.
And then there is Michael’s Creations, who works right alongside me day after day. He helps with cleanouts, moving, organizing, setting up and a million other things. I truly don’t know how I could continue doing all of this without his help. ❤️
But there’s another part of Jude’s Treasures that means even more to us.
Helping our community.
When we hear about a family who has lost everything in a fire, someone starting over with nothing, or a young person getting their first apartment without much money, we try to help however we can.
We have given away furniture, household items, food and other necessities to people who truly needed them. And sometimes giving something away isn’t enough — we load that heavy furniture ourselves and deliver it to someone who doesn’t have a vehicle or any other way to get it home.
That’s time. That’s gas. That’s lifting. That’s loading and unloading. And we do it because sometimes someone simply needs a helping hand. ❤️
We don’t advertise every person we help, and we certainly don’t expect praise for it. We do it because it’s the right thing to do.
That is part of what Jude’s Treasures is about.
Anyone who shops with us regularly knows that thousands of items in our store are only $1. We constantly run specials, fill-a-bag sales and clearance deals because we genuinely want people to be able to afford the things they need and enjoy.
But not every item can be $1.
When we have purchased something at an auction, paid for it during a cleanout, or bought it directly from someone, we have to consider what we paid for it. If something normally sells elsewhere for $10, $20 or more, we may price it at $2, $3 or $5 and still feel we’re giving someone a wonderful bargain.
We understand that another thrift store, senior center or charity may sometimes have something cheaper — and that’s perfectly okay. ❤️ Every organization operates differently. They receive their merchandise through donations. Our business simply doesn’t operate that way.
We go out looking for the things our customers want. We purchase them. We pick them up. We haul them. We clean them. We price them. We put them out. And when someone in our community genuinely needs help, many times we’re loading those same kinds of things right back into a vehicle and taking them to someone who needs them more.
We go nonstop.
So when you shop at Jude’s Treasures, you’re supporting much more than a little thrift store.
You’re supporting a small local business that works incredibly hard to keep prices affordable while still trying to give back to the community whenever we can.
You never have to purchase something if you don’t agree with the price. We completely understand. But kindness and respect don’t cost anything. ❤️
And to the MANY wonderful customers who come back week after week, tell their friends about us, bring someone new through our doors, laugh with us, encourage us and appreciate what we’re trying to do — THANK YOU.
You are the reason we keep going.
Jude’s Treasures isn’t just a store full of stuff. Behind every shelf are hours of work, tired hands, miles driven, things lifted, people helped, and three people putting a whole lot of heart into making this little store something special. ❤️
And as long as we’re able, we’ll keep treasure hunting, keep working, keep our prices as affordable as we can — and keep helping our community whenever someone truly needs us. 💕
