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Noah’s Ark to offer up big savings at annual Bag Day

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PHOTO PROVIDED Shoppers purchase bags for $4 before entering Noah’s Ark for the annual Bag Day shopping.

Shoppers searching for a great deal or many will find one this week at an island thrift store.

Noah’s Ark, located at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on Sanibel, will host its annual Bag Day on Aug. 9 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Customers can buy marked bags for $4 each in the parking lot before the doors open or later inside the store, fill the bags with as many items as the bags can carry, then walk out the door with it all. Items that do not fit in a bag are 80 percent off of the regular price.

“They fill it with jewelry, pots and pans, clothing, books, linens – whatever they can fit in there,” Noah’s Ark volunteer Susie Scutakes said, adding that shoppers can buy as many bags as they want to.

Bag Day is a long-standing tradition for the store, which has been around for almost 60 years.

“We close for about six weeks to clean and paint, and do any repairs that have to be done,” she said. “So we get rid of every last item in the store (through the event) – so we’re left with nothing.”

Any unsold remaining items at the end of Bag Day are donated to charities.

“Mostly to a charity called Family Thrift, which is for the veterans,” Scutakes said.

The bags are available for sale starting at 9 a.m., but a line starts forming early.

“I would definitely say get there early,” she said, explaining that there are typically about 100 customers lined up before the doors even open. “When we open the store, it’s craziness.”

“It generally quiets down after the first hour,” Scutakes added.

She estimated that a couple hundred shoppers swing by over the course of the event.

“I would probably say 200 or 300 people are in and out,” Scutakes said.

Noah’s Ark carries something for everyone.

“We offer clothing – for men, women and children – including shoes and handbags. We have lots of jewelry for the ladies,” she said. “We have luggage. We have housewares and knickknacks.”

There are bed, bath and table linens, lamps, pictures, furniture and more.

“We have sporting goods, some electronics, tools,” Scutakes said. “We have books.”

The store has its own “Barnes & Noah” area, filled with excellent vacation reading.

Deep price reductions will also be available leading up to Bag Day.

Customers who purchase large items, like furniture, must make arrangements with the store’s staff to have the items picked up no later than Aug. 10. Noah’s Ark will be closed from Aug. 10 to Sept. 30.

“They must make arrangements to have the items removed,” she said.

On Oct. 1, the store will reopen for business with limited hours, which are Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In November, the winter season’s full schedule will resume, which covers weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., plus the first Saturday of every month for the same hours.

Noah’s Ark does not accept donations between Aug. 9 and Sept. 1.

Operated by the Women of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, the store is staffed with approximately 80 volunteers during season and about 40 volunteers in the summertime months.

“All of our money, plus money from the parish, goes to 25 local, regional and global charities,” Scutakes said of the proceeds from the sales.

Two island beneficiaries are F.I.S.H. of Sanibel-Captiva and Community Housing and Resources.

Noah’s Ark only accepts cash and checks.

For more information, contact the store at 239-472-3356.

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church is at 2304 Periwinkle Way.