New director at Valley Thrift Shop takes over for Tooke

WINSTED —  Pam Tooke has stepped down as executive director of the Valley Thrift Shop at 714 Main St.

Tooke, who is now retired, said she will move to California soon.

In her place, Diane Hayes has been voted by the store’s board of trustees as the new executive director.

“I need to fill the very large shoes of Pam Tooke, who was president for five years,” Hayes said. “We don’t actually have a manager, because we’re non-profit. I am now the president, which we also call the executive director. Our goal is to help the community at large, which we do from our profits and our unsold clothing. Our hope is to continue a stronger presence in the store and on the Internet, including sales on eBay.”

Tooke said the store has been open for more than 40 years, and Hayes is the eighth director of the shop.

“The director writes the schedule and does organizing but it’s very much a team effort,” Tooke said. “One of our main charities is the community college, which gets two scholarships for the nursing program. We also donate to veteran causes and soup kitchens, as well as many other local programs that need us.”

Tooke said the store has raised and donated $600,000 since it opened.

“I am looking forward to the future,” Hayes said. “I encourage people to stop in as much as they can; we’re always making little changes with something new.”

The Valley Thrift Shop is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is open on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Sundays. For more information call 860-379-2390 or visit www.valleythriftshop.weebly.com.

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