By Jennifer Sawhney

A grassroots effort to relaunch Sacks Hospice Thrift Shoppe after it shut down last month will not move forward as of June 2.

Weeks after the thrift store’s operators, Providence at Home Sonoma County Hospice Foundation, officially closed its doors on May 12, a handful of people with strong ties to the almost 40-year-old business were looking to revamp it as an independent entity to continue funding grief counseling.

However, that effort has since stalled.

“Unfortunately, after much consideration and careful analysis of the timing we face, we have concluded that it will not be possible to accomplish our goals and we are forced to abandon our efforts now before we start incurring significant costs beyond the personal funds we have spent so far,” read a statement issued by the newly formed Sacks Petaluma Community Foundation, which sought to save the store that, for many, became a community for the grieving.

Those behind the plan intended to raise pledges – because they didn’t have nonprofit status yet to collect funds – to reopen in September in the same space, after the current lease with Providence ends, according to Gene Gable. The longtime-customer-turned-volunteer spearheaded the effort.

Even before announcing a formal campaign, as of late May supporters had already pledged nearly $150,000 toward a goal of $300,000, Gable said.

“As much as we care about Sacks, we care even more about the community of supporters and have no desire to collect on pledges in a risky or irresponsible manner,” Gable wrote in a statement to Petaluma Voice.

The group also included former longtime Sacks assistant manager Ann Deadman, and couple Ron Bausman and Art Wagner, who have decades of experience in retail. Bausman, notably, retired in 2008 as a senior vice president at Macy’s.

Providence cited “significant capital improvements and required safety/compliance upgrades” related to the building at 128 Liberty St. for the shop’s closure. The building is owned by Lace House Linen, according to county property records.

Before the group decided not to move forward with the reopening, Deadman said: “I think it’s safe to say we’re not part of [Providence’s] business plan. They inherited us.” The store originally opened in 1987 to fund Hospice of Petaluma under Petaluma Valley Hospital. Providence, a national Catholic health system, acquired the hospital and the associated thrift shop in 2021.

Deadman, who worked at the shop for nearly two decades, said the shop “always covered our expenses,” and then some. 

When reflecting on the initial closure announcement, she said, “The first couple of days, staff had to take breaks to come off the floor because it was so heavy and these beautiful stories that people were sharing.”

Deadman recalled the grieving widows who volunteered at the shop and found a place to pour their energies into. Scores of donations were deliberately made to Sacks because of its ties to hospice support. And, it fit into a larger business ecosystem downtown, she said.

When the idea that a new, independent store could replace the old one was first proposed, “every single one” of the nearly 80 volunteers asked to be contacted, Deadman said.

“Ann and I had a heart-wrenching weekend of conversations and our biggest concern was letting down all the wonderful volunteers and customers who put their faith in us,” Gable said of their recent decision to walk away from the reopening plan. “But the magic that creates a place like Sacks happens over time and much of it is serendipity, not planning.”

There wasn’t enough time to recover, he said. The suddenness of the closure, poor timing, and other factors were out of their control. The work to save Sacks became a symbol of “saving old Petaluma, and that is unfortunately something bigger than all of us,” Gable added.

“Thank you again for your encouragement and support,” the group wrote in its statement, “and we sincerely hope the legacy of Sacks continues to define what makes Petaluma such a special place.”