A bigger home for second chances: Cynthia Miller relocates Dawson thrift boutique

Second Chance Thrift Boutique’s new location brings more room for shopping and space for nonprofit fundraising and assistance.

A bigger home for second chances: Cynthia Miller relocates Dawson thrift boutique

By Kathryn Crockett

The Dawson News

DAWSON — Cynthia Miller opened Second Chance Thrift Boutique to clear out her house. Instead, she kept finding things worth bringing home — enough to stock a shop and, eventually, a warehouse.

Now, the business that grew from those purchases has moved into a larger space, with room for other people’s efforts to help the community, too.

Second Chance celebrated its grand opening Oct. 3 at 647 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Alongside furniture, clothing and home decor, Miller is making space for nonprofit fundraising and a planned shopping area for people receiving domestic violence assistance.

During a visit Monday, Miller credited the people who helped her make the move possible.

“With the help of the Lord and my family,” she said.

And friends, she added.

The relocation grew out of a practical problem at her former Main Street storefront: The building needed repairs, and she needed somewhere to operate while the work was done.

“This place came up for sale. I had been looking at it for a while,” Miller said.

Initially, she was looking for a temporary solution. The larger property offered another possibility.

“Then I saw this, and I said, ‘Oh, this’ll be ideal,’” she said.

Family and friends helped move the merchandise and prepare the space. On Monday, Miller introduced two young men who had helped with the work, part of the support behind the store’s new beginning.

For Miller, the business itself began with a different kind of transition.

In an April interview with the Dawson News, she explained that she started the shop after her husband died. Shopping had become a habit, and purchases were accumulating at home.

“I had all these boxes piled up. I thought I gotta get this stuff out of this house,” she recalled thinking.

Opening a thrift store seemed like a way to sell what she already owned. But Miller’s interest in finding merchandise soon outgrew that original purpose.

Asked during that interview how many pieces she had sold from her house, she admitted it was only three.

“I bought so much. I have a warehouse full,” she said.

At the time, she said the boutique had been operating for about three years. She gathered merchandise from different places, accepted contributions and offered consignment. She also searched for items customers wanted when she did not have them in stock.

“I’ve done that for a lot of customers,” Miller said.

Her return to Dawson preceded the store. She and her husband, both originally from the community, lived in Maryland for more than 20 years before coming home when he became ill.

In April, Miller said he had been gone for six years.

“It’s still hard, but I know I’ve got to continue each day,” she said.

The boutique became part of that life in her hometown, connecting her with local shoppers and travelers passing through Dawson. At the new location, those connections are expanding to include space for others to raise money and provide assistance.

Miller said one participant is selling merchandise to support a nonprofit. Another area, still being prepared Monday, will hold donated items for people receiving help through organizations working with a domestic violence advocate.

Under that arrangement, Miller said, clients would receive vouchers to shop in the designated section.

The store’s offerings also include jams and jellies, alongside the furniture, family clothing, home decor and assorted finds advertised for the opening.

Miller continues to accept donations and said the boutique will donate items as well.

Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weekday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about donations or available merchandise, call (229) 310-4522.

What began as an attempt to make room in her own house has become a business with room for other people — and, Miller hopes, more ways to help them.