The duo will leverage more than two decades of combined experience in retail to ensure that the Resale Store continues to provide sustainable revenue streams that support Laura’s House in fulfilling its mission
Ladera Ranch, Calif., Oct. 21, 2013 – Laura’s House, a nonprofit whose mission is to change the social beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence, while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse, today announced that it has appointed Rhonda Frantz-Smith as General Manager of the Laura’s House Resale Store, located in Lake Forest, Calif.
Rhonda Frantz-Smith joins the Laura’s House Resale Store after spending more than a decade with Nordstrom, Inc., where she began her career as a national financial planner, responsible for analyzing, forecasting and managing the national department store’s annual budget. While at Nordstrom, she also served as an assistant buyer, and most recently as store manager. In this role, Frantz-Smith was responsible for developing a team of top performing sales professionals, executing against the short and long-term retail strategic goals for the store, and meeting profitability, performance and financial budgeting goals and objectives.
“Laura’s House is a terrific organization, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to serve as General Manager of its Resale Store,” said Frantz-Smith. “The Resale Store has become a fixture here in our community, and I’m excited about having the opportunity to work with the Laura’s House team in expanding both our clientele, and the relationships we have with our donors and local businesses, to ensure that the store is generating the sustainable revenue streams that Laura’s House needs to fulfill its mission to ‘end the silence’ of domestic violence.”
To complement the Laura’s House Resale Store team, Heather Norrell is joining as Assistant Manager, bringing with her nearly a decade of experience managing the daily operations for Divine Treasures, a gift and home décor retail store located in Mission Viejo, Calif. As store manager for Divine Treasures, she was responsible for hiring, supervising and training a team of 10 sales associates, overseeing buying and merchandising for the store, and for increasing store revenues. Prior to that, she served as assistant manager for OC Furniture in Huntington Beach, Calif. Where she supervised and trained sales associates, assisted with buying and special orders, and helped with customer service. Heather graduated from Chapman University with a B.A. in Sociology with Emphasis in Social Work. She has completed 40-hour Domestic Violence training, and has experience in crisis intervention for individuals affected by Domestic Violence.
“We are very pleased that Rhonda and Heather have joined the Laura’s House team,” said Margaret Bayston, CEO and Executive Director, Laura’s House. “With the revenues that we receive from our Resale Store, we are able to support the shelter, counseling, legal support and community outreach programs that we provide to individuals and families affected by domestic violence. I am confident that under Rhonda and Heather’s leadership, those revenues will continue to grow, and that the number of store patrons, as well as the number of donors who provide us with the high-quality merchandise that is available through the store, will only continue to increase.”
About the Laura’s House Resale Store
Since 1995, Laura’s House has maintained a thrift store to support the funding of our programs and services. In 2009, the store moved from San Clemente to Lake Forest and opened a more centrally located upscale, resale boutique. The Laura’s House Resale Store is open on Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; and, Sunday from Noon to 5:00 p.m.
The Laura’s House Resale Store accepts donations including gently used designer, formal, business and casual clothing and shoes for women, children and men, jewelry, paintings, collectibles and books. Donors should be aware that Laura’s House cannot accept items that are torn or stained, large furniture and appliances, mattresses, box springs and undergarments, and that city law prohibits leaving items at the rear or front of the store outside of normal business hours. All donations are tax deductible and a receipt will be provided upon drop-off. Donation drop-off hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; and, Sunday from Noon to 4:00 p.m.
The Laura’s House Resale Store can be reached by phone at 949-472-8800.
About Laura’s House
For nearly two decades, Laura’s House has provided residential shelter and support services to more than 3,500 families, and counseling, life skills education and legal assistance to over 40,000 individuals. The mission of Laura’s House is to change the social beliefs, attitudes and the behaviors that perpetuate domestic violence while creating a safe space in which to empower individuals and families affected by abuse.
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