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A revitalized gift shop at the Franklin Senior Center is attracting shoppers with quality secondhand clothing, home goods, jewelry, children's items, and vintage treasures—all at affordable prices while supporting senior programs. And you don’t have to be a senior to shop there!
Since taking over Ben's Bounty Gift Shop in October 2024, volunteer manager Colette Ferguson has transformed the space into what many describe as a boutique-style shopping experience. Drawing on her design background, Ferguson reorganized the store, expanded its inventory, and carefully curates donated merchandise. The result has been overwhelmingly positive, with sales tripling since the makeover.
Her marketing approach includes emphasizing low prices to drives sales. Ferguson said she encourages shoppers with words attributed to Ben Franklin: “If you see it, buy it, if you don’t it will be gone.” That approach also means the inventory changes regularly – so there are always fresh shopping surprises.
And the results matter, she explained, because most of the programs at the senior center are not funded by the town, so creating a source of income can have an important and direct impact on users of the Senior Center. “Our mission is to recycle and repurpose; seniors come to have breakfast, check out the shop and then continue on to their classes all under one roof,” Ferguson noted.
Donations come from Franklin and neighboring communities, with volunteers helping sort, clean, and display merchandise. Items not suitable for sale are placed on a free table for visitors.
When pressed, Ferguson admits to one other ingredient in the success of Ben’s Bounty, her time. She estimates that she puts 20-30 hours of uncompensated time in each week. “But I love it,” she adds.
Ben's Bounty Gift Shop is located at the Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill St., and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations are accepted weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
