Past Its First Anniversary, the Thrift Store Across From Good Samaritan Still Keeps Its Volunteers' Hours

"We have a wonderful core group of volunteers who are so excited to reach this milestone," Angie Patterson, St. Mary's Retail Operations Manager, said in the hospital's first-anniversary announcement on October 23. The St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital Upscale Thrift Store at 4980-B Carey Station Road in Greensboro marked that first anniversary with an open house on Wednesday, November 4, a little more than 14 months after its August 26, 2025 opening.

For anyone in Del Webb at Lake Oconee, the store sits right by the hospital, which is less than two miles from the community. The schedule on its door is set by a volunteer roster, and since the store opened, that schedule has only grown.

From Four Days to Six in Under Six Months

The hospital described the store's hours at four points, once before it opened and three times since. Here are the hours each time:

The June plan called for a full weekday schedule into the late afternoon. The store that opened was smaller: four days, four hours a day. Lake Oconee News reported at the opening that Patterson expected hours to expand as more volunteers joined. By mid-February the store had added Friday and Saturday. That covered the days the plan promised, plus Saturday, but every day still ended at 3 p.m.

That pattern makes sense for a volunteer shop. Covering one more day takes another four-hour shift. Running until 5 p.m. takes a longer shift on every day the store is open.

The 3 p.m. Close Is What's Left to Change

The hospital's February 12 volunteer release said the store plans "to stay open later when there are enough volunteers to make that possible." Eight months later, the anniversary announcement listed the same 11-to-3 window, Monday through Saturday.

The staffing explains why. The store has one professional manager, and she also runs other shops. That release says Patterson also oversees the volunteers at the St. Mary's Hospital Gift Shop and the St. Mary's Auxiliary Upscale Thrift Store in Athens, plus the Sacred Heart Hospital Gift Shop in Lavonia. Volunteers do everything else in Greensboro, from receiving donations to ringing up sales. The opening coverage named a few of them. Jeanie Wozniak posed with decorative and cooking items, and Rhonda Lockman and Gail Kavanaugh modeled hats from the racks.

So the hours on the door show how many people have signed up for shifts, and that number can change.

What Comes Through the Back Door

Donations keep the shelves stocked, and the 3 p.m. close shapes how they arrive. The hospital's thrift store page lists what the store wants:

• Antiques, art, and collectibles
• Books and DVDs
• Bridal wear and men's and women's clothing
• Furniture, lamps, and household goods
• Kitchenware and small appliances
• Sports equipment and tools

The opening announcement also asked for electronics, jewelry, tableware, and decorative items, all in high-quality, gently used condition. The store takes donations any time it's open, but large donations need to arrive at least 30 minutes before closing. On the current schedule, that means by 2:30 p.m. The store will give you a receipt if you ask. If you're not sure an item qualifies, call the store at (706) 453-5009 during open hours.

That window is the tightest limit for anyone bringing a dresser, a dining set, or a car full of boxed kitchenware. A loaded trip has to arrive between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on a weekday or Saturday. Later hours, if they come, would widen the window for drop-offs as well as for shopping.

Where the Money Goes, Across Carey Station Road

The store sits directly across the street from St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital, and the hospital is where the money goes. Lake Oconee News covered the ribbon-cutting, held with the Greene County Chamber of Commerce. At that event, Trinity Health Georgia President and CEO Stonish Pierce said proceeds beyond the store's operating costs would go toward improving the hospital's technology and services. The same story credited Patterson with the idea for a store dedicated to the Greensboro hospital, which she conceived in February 2025.

St. Mary's already has a benchmark for what a store like this can raise. The Athens store has generated more than $2 million in sales since it opened in 2008, and Patterson's goal at the Greensboro opening was to match or beat it. She also told Lake Oconee News that the Greensboro shop could raise hundreds of thousands of dollars toward services and equipment at the hospital. The Athens total took about 17 years of open hours. In Greensboro, each additional day or later closing time is more selling time for the same goal.

The building has another tenant too. The Oconee Performing Arts Society lists its address as 4980 Carey Station Road, Suite A, next door to the store's Suite B.

How to Sign Up for a Shift

The thrift store gets its volunteers through the hospital's Adult Auxiliary. On the St. Mary's Adult Auxiliary page, the process looks like this:

1. Submit the online application. The Good Samaritan application asks which days, hours, and areas you're interested in, and the thrift store is one of the options.
2. Schedule an appointment to agree on a service area.
3. Pay annual Auxiliary dues of $15.
4. Meet the immunization and TB requirements on the Auxiliary page.
5. Attend orientation.

Systemwide, the Auxiliary's service areas also include patient escorts, Emergency Department visitor support, the gift shop, pet therapy, visitor desks, Morning Sunshine deliveries, and fundraising events. If you want to talk through store shifts first, the February release lists Patterson's phone number, (706) 206-1672. At the opening, she described the work as "a great way to support our local hospital while making friends, having fun, and doing good work," according to Lake Oconee News.

Volunteer sign-ups added Friday and Saturday to the store's week in under six months. They are also what will push closing time past 3 p.m.

At Boatright Realty Group, we follow the places that make Lake Country feel like home, including the hospital down the road and the volunteers who keep its thrift store open. If you're settling into Del Webb at Lake Oconee and want to know what else is close by, we're happy to talk.