MOORHEAD — Wendy Cowan wasn’t going to roll over when her former landlord told her she had 60 days to find a new home for Jazzy & Mumbos Thrift Store.
She quickly found a space in the EasTen Shopping Center and is doggedly determined to succeed.
On Oct. 1 and 2, she and her pack of volunteers moved everything from her former Dilworth location to 3214 U.S. Highway 10 E.
Still, Cowen says her animal aid thrift store needs some more scratch to stabilize the situation. The strip mall requires she put up a sign for the store — estimated at $10,000 — and there are other expenses, such as getting telephones installed.
“The sign costs $10,000. I’m not a Fortune 500 company, so I can’t afford that,” Cowen said Friday, Oct. 29. “That’s a lot of money. I’d rather have that money go to the pets.”
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Cowen has a GoFundMe account set up (“ Help us fund a new location Jazzy and Mumbos ”). As of Friday, the howl-out for help had more than $1,000 pledged to a $4,000 fundraising goal.
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The store had several customers nosing around mid-morning Friday, as Cowen and a volunteer put clothes on hangers for display.
Behind the cash register, Cowen’s puggles, Dozer and Ratchet, were flaked out on their beds, though Dozer lifted his head to give a couple obligatory growls — just to show he was on the job.
Cowen says she’s happy with the shop, despite a higher rent bill.
“We like it. The customers seem to like it very much,” Cowen said. The 3,400-square-foot space is “about a store and a half from what it was before.”
The store carries antiques and collectibles, furniture, toys, clothes, purses, household items and kitchenware, items for pets, and other odds and ends.
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All profits go toward helping pet owners dealing with hardships.
The store may help pay for veterinary care, emergency surgery, dental work, medications, food and shelter.
Cowen said expenses such as routine shots are not covered. Nor is spaying or neutering, which she says can be handled by Minn-Kota PAAWS.
Along the wall above the cash register, framed photos of dogs and other pets helped by the store are a reminder of its mission.
Jazzy and Mumbos is actually Cowen’s side gig. Her full-time job is working at Braaten Cabinets.
Store hours are 9 am. To 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
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Donations are accepted noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Cowen limits the donation time because she doesn’t have a lot of storage space, and to give herself enough time to process donations.
The store doesn’t have telephone service yet, so people can contact Cowen by direct messaging on the store’s Facebook page .
More information is available online at jazzynmumbosthriftstore.com .
