POULSBO — As Second Season Home Store volunteers helped Ellen carry in her donation, a beautiful antique dollhouse, filled with tiny, hand-crafted furniture, she told the story about how her great-grandfather had made it for his children with love almost a hundred years ago.

Passed down from one generation to the next, Ellen shared her memories as volunteers listened with empathy.

She said the only way she could donate such a treasure was by knowing that their story would go with the dollhouse and that the sale of it would help someone in our own community.

Touching stories like these are often heard at Second Season Home Store. When donors bring in a sofa, or a dining table, or a rocking chair, they are frequently parting with items that have woven themselves into their lives.

Memories of movie night cuddled up on the couch, or homework being done on the dining table, make these items more than furniture.

They are tangible connections to some of our most meaningful memories. They are our steady support, upon which we are warmly invited to live, learn, laugh and love.

That’s what our Home Store Team knows, and they accept donations with care and understanding.

They listen as donors share their stories, and they honor their donation in the way they display it and help find its next home. They have the pleasure of seeing where these items go next — to someone’s first home perhaps, or their college dorm room, or to help a homeless person get off the streets — and are happy that beloved items can find new life.

There is a reverence here that is beyond customer service and goes to the heart of Fishline’s mission, making Second Season Home Store a special, unique place.

Since its opening in 2014, the Home Store has contributed more than $250,000 towards the work of Fishline.

Donations, some truly remarkable, arrive daily brought by generous community members and then find their way onto our showroom floor.

Some donations first make a stop in our workshop, where volunteers lovingly nip and tuck until the item is ready for its second, or third or fourth, chance.

Others barely make it to the showroom before they’re sold. The proceeds of each sale fuel Fishline’s engine of compassion by providing food and basic services to our community’s most vulnerable.

Because our Third Avenue building had to be sold to support the construction of Fishline’s new center on Viking Avenue, Second Season Home Store will close its doors one final time at the end of March.

An ambitious effort to find a new home has not been successful yet we remain optimistic that, should a new location be found, the Home Store could return.

Until then, we invite you to shop at our new location for Second Season Thrift Store in Poulsbo Village where a small selection of furniture will be available starting in March.

The thrift shop will continue to carry gently used clothing, accessories, home decor and other quality items for the home that it has come to be known for.

In its few years of existence, the Home Store has found its way into the hearts of so many in our community, a testament to its manager and its volunteers.

We are very grateful to all of our neighbors, like Ellen, who have supported the Home Store by donating and shopping.

Our volunteers have been especially touched by your kind encouragement as our final weeks approach.

Please continue that support and stop by our store before the end of March to thank our team for all they have done for Fishline and our community.

If you know of an affordable commercial space in Poulsbo that might be a great Home Store location, please contact us at director@nkfishline.org.

Guest columnist Mary Nader is the executive director of North Kitsap Fishline,