Glen Ellyn store sets goal to help Haiti
Deborah Stein plans to devote 10 percent of the profits from her store, Heart in Motion, to Haitian relief efforts. Stein looks through some of the children’s clothes that were bought for resale, part of the eclectic mix of things she plans to sell.
Glen Ellyn resident Deborah Stein considers herself a citizen of the world.
“I think it’s a sad and creepy thing if we’re not all working together,” Stein said. “It should be about what unites us. Not what divides us.”
Her philosophies encouraged her to open a resale boutique, Heart In Motion, and donate 10 percent of the net profits to Haitian relief efforts. Her shop opened March 16 at 488 B Crescent, Glen Ellyn.
“It’s just this feeling of wanting to do something without being able to go to (Haiti),” Stein said.
Stein will sell new and used items such as infant and toddler clothing, wind chimes, garden items and jewelry and provide a service of turning old vinyl into CDs. She also will have an option where 100 percent of profits from donated items of clothing will be given to aid the children of Haiti.
Making profit for herself is not the main goal in this endeavor, Stein said.
“In this case, if I was able to break even, I’d be happy,” Stein said.
Besides planning a grand opening of her store, Stein volunteers with Fabulous Females, a group that serves young women incarcerated at Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville. She was so proud of her involvement with the group that she tattooed the group’s name on her arm in Spanish.
Stein said she was inspired to volunteer and give back by President Barack Obama. She was a huge supporter of his during his campaign, which is why you’ll find Obama merchandise for sale at her store.
Stein said she was ambivalent about selling any item that was politically driven but decided that just being “open about who I am shouldn’t be a bad thing.”
Quotable
“The girls were creative, talented and lively, and they enjoyed building relationships,” Stein said about volunteering with the Fabulous Females group.
Notable
- Current volunteer at Fabulous Females, a group serves young women incarcerated at Illinois Youth Center at Warrenville.
- Site manager for DuPage Senior Citizen Council for five years.
Philosophy on life
“Treat other people the way you’d like to be treated — the basic golden role that my grandmother taught us”
Favorite hobbies
Knitting, dancing to anything
This article originally appeared in Glen Ellyn News.
