Mindy Shemtov of Northfield, director and co-founder of the Alcove Center for Grieving Children and Families, staffs the new thrift shop at 376 Tilton Road in Northfield.
NORTHFIELD – Mindy Shemtov, director and co-founder of the Alcove Center for Grieving Children and Families, opened the doors of the Alcove Thrift Shop at its new location in the rear of the Sun Bank building Saturday morning to find people waiting to get in.

“This is our grand opening in our new home, and this is really terrific,” she said.

She said everything in the store is donated: clothing, shoes, housewares, toys, books, jewelry, dishes, coats, albums and more. They even had an Olympic typewriter for sale.

Previously in Broadcast Center on Tilton Road, the Alcove and its thrift shop, just across the street in the Tilton Shopping Center, have moved to the Sun Bank building. The move gives the Alcove 6,100 square feet of space overall.

The offices and meeting rooms are adjacent to the thrift shop, which now has more space for volunteers to sort and stage the items for sale. Proceeds support bereavement programs for children and their families dealing with the loss of a loved one.

The shop was doing a brisk business in jewelry, and volunteer Aren Alfaro of Linwood said she had already filled the jewelry display case three times by noon.

“People really donate some very nice things to the Alcove, and we are able to turn around and offer our customers some great bargains,” she said.

The Alcove, which offers its programs for free, receives no state or federal funding. Services are funded through private donations and proceeds from the thrift shop. Shemtov said the Alcove works with about 100 children and adults through its office and about 500 through a school outreach program in 22 schools in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties.

Shemtov said the program is successful and would be in more schools if the Alcove had the financial means to take it there.

Social worker Tobi Ellen Care visits the schools and works with students dealing with loss. She helps the youngsters work through their grief and keep their head above water during times of loss, whether it is a close relative or a friend.

“Whoever that person is, they are important in the life of the student, and the loss is real and it is profound. And for many, getting the help to work through that loss is so important,” Shemtov said. “Not everyone is able to come to our center for help, and that is what makes the school outreach program so important.”

The new home for the Alcove has dedicated meeting rooms for all of the groups, from the youngest at 4 years old through adults. Each room will soon have a custom-designed mural. The children all voted on what they would like for their mural.

Longtime volunteer Maureen Sullivan of Northfield, an art teacher at Absegami High School, challenged her students to come up with the designs. The winning designs are being painted on the walls.

The meeting room for teens has a beach scene, while the one for tweens ages 9-12 has a jungle scene. On Saturday morning, Sullivan and her sister and niece were painting a playground scene in the meeting room for the elementary-age children.

The thrift shop, 376 Tilton Road, is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday for shopping and dropping off donations. Follow the signage to the back of the building where there is parking.

For information, to volunteer or donate see www.thealcove.org or call (609) 484-1133.

Volunteer Gabby Villamor of Hamilton Township sorts special occasion dresses at the Alcove Thrift Shop. She says she started volunteering because she wanted to give some of her free time to a good cause. “They do wonderful work for children at the Alcove, and I am happy to be a part of it,” she says.   Lisa Weiss and Amy Weiss of Somers Point and Maureen Sullivan paint a mural on the walls of a children’s meeting room at the Alcove.   A mural in the general meeting room is representative of children from different cultures around the world. Each has a Band-aid somewhere – because everyone needs to heal, according to the artist, Lisa Zachs of South Jersey Periodontics.