NAPA VALLEY, CA — Most businesses put profits into one bank account. But the money spent at two sister thrift stores in St. Helena keeps the doors open for two good causes: charities including Parkinson's programs and neighbors in need.
Jennifer Wilken and Oria Goleno reopened La Bohème and Act Two, which both were slated to be closed.
The takeover preserves two shops that serve different needs in the same community: La Bohème offers higher-end finds among Main Street's boutiques, while Act Two off Highway 29 supplies the eclectic and everyday necessities.
Together, they turn donated clothing, furniture, and housewares into support for charitable causes while helping neighbors afford what they need in one of the country's most expensive regions.
When a vineyard worker hesitates over a $25 pair of work boots, Goleno sees more than a shopper weighing a purchase. She remembers her father, who worked as a vineyard foreman in the 1970s and 1980s, and offers the boots for $10.
"That would work," the man tells her. "Okay. Then take them for $10."
Those exchanges explain why Goleno and Wilken took over the St. Helena thrift stores after Providence announced it would close them.
The women preserved places where neighbors furnish homes, buy clothing, and sometimes receive help they cannot afford elsewhere.
They also gave the stores a new purpose. Sales support the women's Goleno-Wilken Foundation, which directs money to Parkinson's Association of Northern California as well as other causes. Wilken's husband, Darrel, has Parkinson's.
La Bohème sells donated goods amid downtown's high-end boutiques. Its sister store, Act Two St. Helena Thrift, occupies a corner among vineyard and winemaking suppliers.
La Bohème tends toward higher-end merchandise. Act Two supplies everyday necessities, although its donations occasionally require an art expert, like when Goleno received artwork she suspects may be an original Picasso.
Other donations have included authenticated art, Bibles dating to the 1840s, and a jacket with dentures left inside.
"You never know what comes through here," Wilken said. The goal remains the same, which is lifting up the people around them.
Before the takeover, Wilken had worked for Providence at the stores for about four years, and Goleno for three.
Goleno began researching nonprofit requirements after hearing that Providence had closed a Petaluma thrift store.
Initially, they thought the downtown shop might prove too difficult or expensive to keep. But, within a month, Goleno and Wilken had put together a business plan, created the foundation, and secured the funding they needed.
"Oria and I talked to Providence, and we told them our plan, and they were like, 'Wonderful. That's amazing,'" Wilken said.
The women obtained new leases, insurance, a license, and nonprofit status, and formed a board, a CPA, and a business owner.
"So we did a lot in under a month," Wilken said.
At La Bohème, they moved every item out so the landlord could replace carpeting that had been there for 15 years.
Fresh paint, rearranged furniture, and a relocated desk changed the shop's appearance.
"So it looks, like, much cleaner and brighter," Wilken said..
On the second full day, and after a weekend soft opening, the store never emptied of shoppers.
"People are really excited that the door is open," Wilken said.
For some customers, the stores fill needs that extend well beyond bargain hunting.
"My house is half furnished from here," one longtime shopper said.
The same shopper described the regulars: "We have a family of people."
One woman, Lulu, who had turned 97 a few days earlier, walked into the shop, followed by another regular Wilken called their "organizer." Travelers also stop in.
Goleno grew up in a household of eight children. Customers' stories sometimes remind her of her parents, prompting her to lower a price or give someone an item. A Sept. 24 Act Two offered shoppers 10 pieces of clothing for $10.
She also cared for her mother, who had severe dementia, for 15 years. That experience shapes her response when customers explain that they need linens while caring for a loved one. "You can take three or four sheets," she tells them.
The women donate clothing to the high school's drama department and plan to work with the food bank to provide dishes, utensils, pots, and pans alongside food distributions.
They are also working to help restart a Parkinson's support group.
For Wilken, that cause starts at home. Her husband continues working and helping at the store on his days off. "So he has a second job now," she said.
At the stores, the women have also adjusted their course while keeping a familiar community resource alive.
"So we're just basically continuing on the legacy," Wilken said.
Related: A North Bay ICU Nurse With Parkinson's Joins Grueling Offshore Race To Advance Research
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