Katy’s Korner Returns In Larger Renovated Space

ORLEANS – Just hours into its soft reopening last week, it was evident how much Katy’s Korner was missed.

 Volunteers busied themselves May 28 sorting through clothing and other items as residents came by steadily with bags of donated items. For Katie Wibby, CEO of the Lower Cape Outreach Council, it was the perfect way to reintegrate the free shop back into the community.

 “The volunteers were excited to get back in here,” she said. “We get emails constantly asking when we are going to open and take donations again. And then of course all of our community members who utilize Katy’s Korner have been waiting anxiously for it to reopen.”

 Since 1988, Katy’s Korner has allowed residents throughout the Lower and Outer Cape to come in and pick out clothes, books, toys and other household items free of charge. Formerly located in the basement of the council’s Brewster Cross Road headquarters, the free shop has been closed since last May, when construction began on the building’s new expanded pantry space.

 “The donors missed giving as much as the people coming to shop,” said Gerry Desautels, the council’s development director.

 But while missed by both clients and donors alike, the newly renovated Katy’s Korner offers twice the space as its former setup. The shop’s operations now inhabit the entire first floor, including space for clients to shop as well as office space and an area in back for volunteers to sort out donations.

 “It’s very exciting, actually,” said Candy Franklin, a 20-year volunteer that helps manage Katy’s Korner.

 “We knew the pantry was going to take over the Katy’s Korner space, so the plan was always to move it up here,” Wibby said.

 Last week’s soft opening was not announced to the public, Wibby said, noting that the council wanted to use the opportunity to test out the new space. The shop was expected to fully open to the public this week.

Several clients stopped by after shopping for groceries downstairs in the pantry.

 “It’s one-stop shopping,” said Karen Ross, the council’s director of operations.

 The council has raised approximately $1 million for renovations to the Brewster Cross Road building. That began with expanding the pantry operations in the building’s basement. Just as the expanded pantry was renovated to replicate the experience of shopping in a grocery store, the same effort was made to make shopping in Katy’s Korner reminiscent of a retail shop, Ross said.

 “It’s such a wonderful way to greet our customers with dignity and excitement,” she said. “We’re excited to have them see all of the work that we put into reimagining this space for them.”

Clients are able to pick out one bag full of items from the free shop per person per household each month, Wibby said. She said she expects demand at the shop to grow similar to the way demand has grown with the opening of the new pantry.

“What’s special about Katy’s Korner is it’s managed entirely by volunteers and stocked entirely by the community. From an organizational cost perspective, it’s a really low cost that’s able to provide a really high value to the people that are utilizing it.”

 The reopening of Katy’s Korner comes as the need for food, clothing and other items continues to deepen for residents and families across the Lower and Outer Cape. According to statistics provided by the council, demand for the shop has grown from just over 1,000 visits in 2022 to an anticipated 6,000 visits by the end of this year.

 But while demand is high, Wibby said she’s learned not to count out people’s willingness to rise up to meet it.

 “I think I’m always a bit overwhelmed by how generous the community is,” she said. “Whenever there is a situation or a need or crisis, really, the community shows up. This is a perfect example of it. We have more stuff than we have volunteers to go through today to make sure this was a full opening and we have everything that folks might need.”

 The council is looking for additional volunteers to work in Katy’s Korner. For more information, visit www.lcoc.org.