Little Fox Board Issues Statement On Shop's Closure

ARLINGTON, MA – The Friends of the Fox Board of Directors is speaking out about the sudden closure of the Little Fox Shop Aug. 10. The library resale shop shut down after longtime managers Susan Dorson and Stephanie Murphy were fired, and the Little Fox website stated that the closure would only be temporary "while we seek a new manager."

In a statement released Tuesday, the board wrote that it reviewed the role of shop manager in late 2017 and added two new parts to the managers' job description – to follow standard accounting policies and procedures and have at least one manager on-site during shop hours, which according to the board was an average of 23 hours per week between them.

Dorson and Murphy requested $18,000 each annually to run the shop – a 240 percent increase – with additional increases to be guaranteed over the next several years, and the board countered with $12,000 each annually – a 160 percent increase, according to the board's statement. The board claimed the managers also did not agree to changing the shop hours or hire an additional paid management position and "could not guarantee that they would be at the Shop during any specific times."

"Finally, through a unanimous decision of the Board, we determined that the Shop should be closed until a manager can be retained who can meet all requirements of the new job description," the board wrote. "We posted a call for applications today. We have committed to including a representative from the Shop volunteers on the interview committee. We hope to have the search completed and the shop reopened as soon as possible."

Dorson told YourArlington last week requests for a raise and switch of payroll systems were rejected. She said following performance reviews in the spring, the board told Murphy and Dorson they had to be "on-site during all open hours," which conflicted with the shop's culture of setting flexible hours to schedule around family commitments.

Dorson also told the site the board turned down a proposal in June to split shop coverage between management and other staff and did not make it clear the managers' jobs were in danger.

Read the Little Fox Board of Directors' full statement here.

Related: Arlington's Little Fox Managers Fired; Petition Seeks Answers

Image via Shutterstock