Last weekend, the public was welcome to browse and shop for a wide variety of items at the L.E. Phillips Senior Center’s Annual Thrift and Crafts Sale.

The senior center is a social hub for individuals over the age of 50 to engage in educational programs, community service, fitness classes, games and artistic creations. 

Cindy Westphal, Kathy Kattestad and Nancy Hallin, members of the Happy Hookers crafting group at the senior center, set up shop and helped run the craft sale this year. Westphal said she has been part of the group for nearly a decade, as she needed something to do after her husband passed away.

“I made so many friends, and some have passed since I’ve joined, but it’s just a lot of fun,” Westphal said. “You don’t have to come every week if you don’t want to. You don’t have to work on anything if you don’t want to. You can just sit and visit.”

Hallin said everything displayed at the craft sale was made by the Happy Hookers or donated by community members — even their own items were mostly created from donated fabric and yarn. 

“Every year I kind of focus on something different, and so this year I focused on children,” Hallin said. “I made children’s art aprons and sweaters, hats and mittens.”

Hallin and Kattestad said they have also been crocheting hats for newborn infants at a local birthing center.

The craft sale offered a range of products from handmade bags, scarves and blankets, to stuffed animals, kitchen aprons and crocheted reusable dust mop covers. All proceeds from the craft sale went right back into the senior center.

According to Westphal, although the Happy Hookers keep their prices very low and affordable, they hold four or five sales per year. One year, they accumulated about $8,000 and were able to purchase a boiler for the senior center.

“We keep them low because we’d rather make $2 than have it sit here for two years and not sell anything,” Westphal said. “A lot of it is just, ‘So what do you think? Should we put $5 on this?’ And we all kind of work together as far as pricing.”

Although the senior center is for adults aged 50 and older, the Happy Hookers would welcome college students to join them, according to Kattestad. Hallin said college students can also donate their own crafts to support the center.

Alongside the craft sale was the annual thrift sale, presented as “Granny’s Attic Sale.” Tables were filled with board games, toys, holiday decor, DVDs, glassware, jewelry and much more.

Volunteer Lori Klug said all of the items were donated by the community, and the amount they received this year was significantly greater than previous years. 

“We have so much stuff left back there, we have no room for it,” Klug said. “This year’s been just crazy.”

Volunteer Gladys Webb said they did not accept books for the thrift sale, as they already have an ample donated selection. They also did not accept electronics in case they no longer function properly. 

“People are downsizing,” Webb said. “They come in and say, ‘Oh, my kids don’t want this, my grandkids don’t want this.’ So, you young people have to change your ways.”

Most of the items at the thrift sale were not priced. Klug said shoppers could decide on their own however much they wished to donate to the senior center.

“I love this kind of stuff,” Klug said. “I love being social and talking to people and hearing their stories.”

Those interested in donating to the senior center may navigate to the “Give” page on their website.

Matczak can be reached at [email protected].