Amanda Stevens
Every year, the Otterbein Thrift Shop donates its proceeds to scholarships for Westerville City School students, service scholarships and The Diamond Jubilee Grant, a fund for students experiencing financial emergency.
The Westerville Otterbein Women’s Club (WOWC), founded in 1921 to support Otterbein University and its students, operates the shop.
Having surpassed $1 million in scholarship donations in 2017, the shop is now aiming for $2 million as it continues WOWC’s mission.
A community effort
Amanda Stevens
WOWC President Kathy Butler (second from right) with Thrift Shop volunteers Ann (left), Anne (second from left) and Rosemary (right).
Every day, the Thrift Shop relies on a team of volunteers consisting of Otterbein alums or community members.
Volunteers sort through donations left on the back porch of the shop and determine what can and cannot be sold.
The shop boasts everything from clothing, shoes and jewelry to home goods, kitchen gadgets, DVDs and more, attracting students and community members alike.
Before the pandemic, annual revenue averaged around $32,000. This past school year, the shop raised $78,000, enabling WOWC to expand its Service Scholarship from four to six individuals.
“The volume of students using our store this year has increased 100-fold,” says Harriet Merriman, a longtime volunteer who runs the shop. “We used to get students, but now they are thrifters and they want to come in and get things, so we’re selling a lot.”
Kathy Butler, WOWC’s president and a ’72 graduate of Otterbein, notes that the shop doesn’t take items such as pillows, big furniture, televisions and chemicals.
However, the shop tries to find a place for all its donations, working with organizations such as the Salvation Army, Westerville Area Resource Ministry, the Lions Club, the YMCA Family Center and others.
“This is the best kept secret in Westerville,” Merriman says. “People are discovering this and they spread the word, and our prices are excellent, and that’s why they come.”
Students who serve
Kendyl Householder
Kendyl Householder
The Thrift Shop receives help from a handful of students, particularly those involved in Cardinal Corps, an organization dedicated to running volunteer programs for student engagement.
Cardinal Corps Leader Kendyl Householder, a senior creative writing and sociology major, first volunteered at the Thrift Shop during the spring 2025 semester to fill volunteer hours for a community engagement course.
“I just found myself enjoying it so much that I went ahead and continued that,” Householder says.
One of her favorite aspects of volunteering at the shop is seeing the diverse items that people donate.
“It’s been that variety and really great pricing that’s kept me coming back, because I just want to make sure that it’s fully stocked so that everybody gets the fullest out of the shop,” Householder says.
While she wasn’t familiar with the shop prior to volunteering, she has come to enjoy the other volunteers’ company and being involved in an initiative that supports students.
“It makes it all the more worthwhile for me because I really enjoy seeing students be able to get something out of the store, even if it’s not that they’re shopping there,” Householder says.
A worthy cause
Amanda Stevens
Besides scholarships, the Thrift Shop has contributed to campus building renovations, Memorial Stadium renovations and even a paddock at the equine center.
Having started in 1952, the shop is the oldest sustainability initiative at Otterbein, and its popularity has only grown in recent years.
“Back then we were a social club. Now we’re just here because we love Otterbein and we want to help the students,” Butler says.
Amanda Stevens is an editorial assistant for CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
