In its first in-person event in three years, Oak Park-River Forest Day Nursery is honoring Economy Shop by presenting it with its Rocking Horse Award.
The award is presented to an individual or organization of significant value to a non-profit daycare center.
“This year, Economy Shop has benefited many organizations, including Day Nursery, and that should be recognized,” said Day Nursery Hosting Committee member and former Day Nursery Board member Nancy Clark.
The award will be formally presented on May 11 during Day Nursery’s “Corks and Conversations” fundraiser at Trattoria 225, 255 Harrison St. Wednesday Journal. Harrison St. Wednesday’s Journal reached out to economy shop president Lisa Sorenson for comment.
This is the first time Day Nursery Economy Shop has been honored with a Rocking Horse Award, but the two organizations have shared a partnership for more than a century. A non-profit thrift store, the Economy Shop was founded in 1919 by a group of local women who wanted to benefit local charities by selling donated furniture, clothing and other items.
The Day Nursery, founded in 1912, was one of the five original beneficiaries of the Economy Shop and remains a beneficiary to this day.
„This is a wonderful example of the public community doing quiet good that may not be recognized as much as it should be,” Clark said.
The way Economy Shop operates is unique compared to other charity resale shops. Each of the companies benefiting from the Economy Shop has a designated room within the store, which is located at 103 S. A three-storey house on Grove Ave. Purchased by the Economy Shop in 1924. Each beneficiary organization is tasked to voluntarily hire their room. Sales, of which there are about 30 per year. Whichever room makes the most sales, each beneficiary organization receives the same percentage of revenue.
After completing her service as a member of the nursery team, Clark began volunteering at the economy shop by working in the day nursery room. She now serves as the Head of the Day Nursery’s Economy Shop Room, making her a board member of the Economy Shop.
Both Day Nursery and Economy Shop have weathered some of the country’s toughest times, from the Great Recession to the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown and subsequent months of security restrictions. Although the store could not conduct any sales due to restrictions, the economy shop helped by dipping into its reserves to provide subsidies to its beneficiaries. For its years of service to the nursery and many local organizations, Clarke said, the economy shop will be honored with the Rocking Horse Award.
„The Economy Shop is a special resource in the wider community and deserves Day Nursery’s 2023 Rocking Horse award,” he said.
