Helping to Give the Treasures in Life. A Local Thrift Store’s Story.

LA GRANDE – There is a difference between giving to charity and being charitable. Both are admirable but have entirely different impacts on the community. Clothes and cans in donation bins can help those in need in a way that’s convenient for all involved. However, an honest human connection can make all the difference and turn an otherwise simple reprieve into a sense of genuine care and belonging. One local shop owner is not only going above and beyond to help those in need but restoring a little bit of humanity along the way.

The story of Tina Richardson, owner of the Life’s Little Treasures Community Thrift Store, is one built on redemption and human decency. A former addict and homeless, Tina, “got the spark,” as she put it, while working a five-year community service stint for the Salvation Army. After finishing her community service, an opportunity came along when Tina’s sister, Becky, had the idea to set up a new thrift store in La Grande. When Becky and their business partner stepped down from the project, Tina took to the helm as it was, “something I’ve wanted to do all my life.” Prior to getting started, Tina and Becky asked around their community to see if anyone would even be interested in a new thrift store. The word-of-mouth response was overwhelmingly positive and Life’s Little Treasures opened its doors in 2018.

Though not officially a non-profit, charitability and a sense of community seemed to be ingrained into the store from the get-go. All items in Life’s Little Treasures’ inventory are donated. In fact, much of the store’s furnishings were donated by fellow community thrift store, Bugs and Butterflies. As Tina described:

“Jennifer from Bugs and Butterflies, a lot of these racks came from her. My sandwich board that goes outside was donated by her. Hangers, all donations. The only things that were bought by the store our first year were the front counter, my wonderful wood shelf and my two plastic and metal shelves.”

Of course, donations go out just as much as they come in. Throughout the four-and-a-half years of its existence, Life’s Little Treasures has built a reputation in the homeless and low-income communities as a place where people in need can find support. This altruistic image has gotten to the point where the Center for Human Development, and even local police, will contact Tina about specific persons and families that they’ve sent to her. As described by Tina:

“My biggest clientele when it comes to helping is the homeless, but I also help families rebuild their lives. Say, the CHD gets a hold of me and says they have a family that just got their children back and they have nothing. They can come in and we get them dishes and blankets and pillows and everything they need on an everyday basis. One of my biggest things to push is kids’ books. If I’m helping a family, I make sure the kids get those books.”

There are other facets to her charity work as well. Tina prepares monthly food bags to be distributed to the homeless community. Each bag is a little different, with some having mostly snacks and others plenty of toiletries, though most usually contain water, protein and hygiene supplies. For the holidays, Life’s Little Treasures gives away Christmas trees with decorations included. Various church groups have also partnered with the store to help manage food donations. One group will be giving away twenty hot meals on November 20 in Max Square.

With so much giving to the community, it’s no surprise that some of them started giving back. While small favors like the parking lot being swept happen from time to time, it was the community’s efforts during the pandemic that exemplified what Life’s Little Treasures means to people. During COVID 19, Life’s Little Treasures faced financial difficulty, including debt, and the homeless community stepped up. As described by Tina:

“If it wasn’t for my community and the homeless, I wouldn’t be here. Without my customers, I couldn’t pay my bills. The homeless came and helped me with their stimulus checks, and the community came in when they could. I was pulled out of debt by my homeless community, and they also helped me pay up the next month’s bills as best they could.”

The story of Life’s Little Treasures is more than just sympathy for those less fortunate, but pure, unfiltered empathy and kindness based on years of lived experiences. Tina’s time on the streets and with the Salvation Army not only inspired her to help people, it showed her what a little bit of help can mean to people in practice. As best put by her:

“It took me twenty-one years to get to where I was but there’s always a window. There’s always a window of opportunity to better yourself. There’s nothing in this store that I would not help someone with, because at the end of the day, we’re all human beings and sometimes a little kindness is all someone needs.”

Life’s Little Treasures is located at 2203 Adams Ave, La Grande.

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