DONATED GOODS HELP OUT MOMS.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Maybe somebody rubbed a magic lamp and wished a savvy seller would help a single moms group handle donated goods piling up in its offices -- sometimes to the point of edging out the clients.

Resale maven Lorraine Irwin landed on the group's doorstep in April and months later has opened the doors of a thrift shop whose goods are sometimes given free to single moms in need.

``I love to buy low and sell higher,'' said Irwin, 50. ``If my talents and my passion can help such a worthwhile organization, then here I am.''

Irwin, who is remarried but struggled as a single mom of three for many years, has been in the resale business for about two decades. She has priced donated furniture, bric-a-brac and clothes to move, and items from estate sales Irwin organizes might land on the floor or sporting higher price tags at the Rose Bowl Flea market or on eBay. Proceeds benefit the store.

She planted the shop amid clusters of apartments, condominiums and mobile homes, and to alert far-flung customers she has taken a booth at the Saugus Swap Meet and was rained out from another in Lancaster on Sunday.

Single Mothers Outreach helps clients find jobs and housing, helps further education for moms and kids, provides counseling, offers referrals for legal counsel and services, provides short-term financial aid for clients' rents and utilities, furnishes clothing and runs a clients-only food bank.

``A person can take items to the thrift store, Single Mothers provides a tax-deductible receipt and a single mom gets a voucher if she needs a dresser or four suits for work,'' said Debbie Quick, the nonprofit group's executive director. ``Our office isn't a storehouse anymore.''

The group is a magnet for donations but short on storage space. Some donated furniture and appliances are handed off to clients -- like the freezer given to a mother whose baby has cancer but who lacked a freezer in which to store medicine. Some furniture has been stored till needed, but the clothes closet that suits up many for job interviews has burst its seams.

``When mothers come in, they can't even sit down with a baby in their arms there's so much stuff -- which we're grateful for,'' said volunteer Jody Nalian. ``They couldn't get in the closet to look at the clothes. There's no floor space in there.''

Nalian, a single mom, helps Irwin empty homes floor to ceiling at estate sales, then sorts items at the group's offices. She visited the shop Monday with her daughters, Amanda, 12, and Krystina, 15, who help out too.

``I think it's fun to help out,'' Amanda said. Krystina offers her computer smarts in the office and plans to volunteer in the store.

Single Mothers is nonprofit; the store is not, but its proceeds are funneled to the group and will be used to pay for expenses, Irwin said. She is tapping her savings until the enterprise becomes self-supporting.

A hutch with curved-glass doors, antique-finish serpentine-front dresser and upholstered pieces are priced to move -- as are the clothes, which go for $2 apiece.

``I call it the 99 cents store theory of business,'' Irwin said. ``All of the things are given to us for free. There is no need to stockpile or store them.''

``Thriftwear With a Flair'' is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday. The store is at 18287 Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country, tucked in the La Pico Shopping Center.

Those wishing to volunteer or donate items can contact Irwin at [phone].

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color in SAC edition only) Lorraine Irwin works in her newly opened thrift store on Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country.

David Crane/Staff Photographer