MARYSVILLE — Mark Bagley, Joanne Armstrong and Mindy Decker celebrated the grand opening of their new “Snoopits” flea market in Marysville Sept. 4, but the three co-owners of the new business already have years of experience at flea-marketing in Arlington.
That being said, the trio remain just as supportive of their old hometown as their new one, which is why they’ve started their second annual “Dollars for Diapers” campaign.
Back when all three were flea-marketers at “Two Bits or More” in Arlington, Decker started the campaign, which generated approximately $300 in a single month.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Decker said. “Before Christmas, our local food bank said it needed diapers.”
“This time, we decided the need was year-round,” Armstrong said. “We had one customer request that we buy some diapers in size 5, since most of the diapers that people buy are for little ones.”
These diapers will be donated to both the Marysville and Arlington community food banks, both from the donations of diapers and dollars made by Snoopits’ patrons, as well as from portions of Snoopits’ monthly earnings.
Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall and his wife Sue were pleased to hear about Snoopits’ “Dollars for Diapers” campaign when they visited the store Sept. 4. As Sue Kendall browsed through shelves of items ranging from clothes to movies on DVD and novelty lighting, Dennis Kendall spoke with the store’s staff, including volunteer Leonard Woody, and relied on a few of the store’s keychain inscriptions to express his feelings for him.
“‘Bring self-respect,'” Kendall quoted. “‘Everybody needs a friend.’ ‘Happiness is contagious.’ That’s what these people are about by doing this. Plus, there are some amazing finds here.”
Bagley touted the number of 25-cent items for sale at Snoopits, as well as the clothing items available for $1 each.
“We gave some of our clothing to a local family whose house recently burned down,” Bagley said. “You meet a lot of cool people here.”
Armstrong echoed Bagley’s love of their customers, and promised that, in less than a year, she’d be retired for her current job and ready to run Snoopits full-time.
The store’s staff prides itself not only on giving refunds for merchandise that doesn’t work, but also on testing their merchandise before it even hits their shelves.
“If it doesn’t work, we don’t put it out,” Armstrong said. “We wash all our clothes before they go on our shelves, and if those clothes are still torn or stained, they don’t go out.”
Snoopits is located at 1235 State Ave. in Marysville. To learn more, you can e-mail them at mojomindy@hotmail.com.
