Angel Guild Gives Back $2M to the Key Peninsula Since 1978

One of the most incredible things about us is that we are such a diverse group of people with diverse talents.”

Angel Guild is much more than a thrift shop. It’s a place where people can buy things they need at affordable prices or find a special treasure. It provides camaraderie for those who come to shop and for the volunteers who keep things humming.

And since 1978 when the Angel Guild was officially established, it has awarded $2,173,384 in grants to support local schools, nonprofits, and events according to board President Kathryn Milburn’s calculations. Over the last 12 months, it has given over $100,000 back to the community.

“Each month a committee reviews requests, makes recommendations, and then the members vote,” Milburn said. “We don’t give money to individuals, political or religious organizations.”

The Guild is known for its reasonable prices and high quality. Postings on their Facebook page attract customers. Recent customers came from Shelton and Federal way. “People like that we give back to the communit y,” said assistant store manager Pat Kunzl.

Milburn said the Key Center store is a social space separate from home and work.Some of the customers are isolated and live alone, and the store offers a chance for interaction. “People come for camaraderie,” she said. “Some say we remind them of ‘Cheers.’ There are some real characters.”

About 40 volunteers form the Angel Guild’s backbone. They sort donations, float in the store to help customers, and work the registers. Many specialize as department heads, with expertise in areas such as games, holiday décor, and jewelry.

The only paid staff are the store manager and assistant manager who oversee pricing, quality control, and placement of merchandise.

Candace Lee, a volunteer since 2022, was hired as the manager in April. Kunzl recruited Lee as soon as she heard that Lee, one of the Guild’s youngest volunteers, might be in the job market when her daughter entered kindergarten. Kunzl is now assistant manager.

“There was a lot to take in when I first started,” Lee said. “When you are at the register you only see things from the front end, you don’t see everything that is going on in the back. I wondered what I got myself into.”

Guild Vice President Ann Larson recalled a few favorite stories. “I was working at the store when a man pulled up with a truck full of stuff and said, ‘It’s yours.’ We started to unload the truck, and he said, ‘No, I mean it.’ He started to hand me the title to the truck. I ran over to the deli where our manager was. Someone’s dad was there at the time and said he was looking to buy a truck. He came back with me, drove the truck around and decided to buy it. We could never have accepted the truck on our own.”

Another time a man came with a load of clothes from his wife as well as things he planned to take to the dump. “I said we could take it all,” Larson said. “It turned out we couldn’t really use the clothes from his wife, and we took them to Goodwill. But what he planned to take to the dump included Wendell Wilkie buttons, an oak filing cabinet, dental gold — all kinds of valuable stuff.”

The last several years brought losses to the Guild. Covid took a toll when the store closed. (“Angel Guild Faces Challenges,” July 2020).

Several long-term members have died, and some have moved out of state or live in nursing homes.

Vicki Swenning, a member for 25 years, reflected on the legacy of Mary Cultum, who died in 2023. “She coined the phrase ‘friendly pricing,’ Swenning said. “She would think outside the box, deconstructing electric blankets to repurpose as pet blankets, taking buckles off backpacks, and packing them together to sell. Her motto was ‘Don’t put it in the dumpster, put it in the crafts section.’ She did all the crafts, and it has taken seven people to replace her.”

“One of the most incredible things about us is that we are such a diverse group of people with diverse talents,” Milburn said. “We have people who are experts in antiques, we have people who do yarn, we have people who do jewelry.”

The store is open Thursday through Saturday 10 to 4. Kunzl said they would like to add Wednesday to the schedule, but that would require at least six additional volunteers.

Donations are accepted at the storage space behind the store Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m.to 3 p.m. Donations should be lightly used and clean. If the donation space is closed, don’t leave things outside; if they get wet they must go to the dumpster. And please, the Angels said, limit the weight of the donation bags and boxes. “If your grandmother can’t lift it,” Larson said, “neither can we.”