With a five dollar bill in hand, a young mom approached a store countertop with two children’s coloring books. Soldotna’s Joni Stephens is waiting for them at the cash register.
Stephens then walks across the store – past shelves of books and knick knacks – and grabs a box of erasable colored pencils. She rings up almost all of the customer’s items – but doesn’t charge for the small box of Crayola pencils.
Stephens can do that, because she’s the owner of Clark’s Corner, a new thrift store in Soldotna. The former pawn shop is across the street from Save-U-More off of Kalifornsky Beach Road. Stephens bought the business in May and opened “Clark’s Corner” a few weeks ago.
“I just went in full force and said, ‘If it works, it works, and if it doesn't, at least I tried,’" Stephens said. "That's what my kids needed to know, that you don't get to say, ‘No’, you have to try.”
Stephens says achieving her dream of being a small business owner is meaningful, especially this year. The mom of four kids underwent brain surgery in January for a type of epilepsy that’s caused seizures since her diagnosis almost 10 years ago.
Ahead of the operation, Stephens feared she might not wake up. But she did. And her dream was top of mind.
“So I took the plunge," Stephen's said. "If I've been given this second chance at life, I have to do it. So that's what I decided to do, just go around every obstacle until I found where I needed to be.”
Her initial stock of merchandise came from a collection donated by family from gently used clothes, to DVDs, to household decor. The store takes its name from Stephens’ uncle, Clark. It also has a small section of free items.
Everything for sale in the store was donated by local residents. That’s a perk for Stephens, who says interacting with the community is her favorite part of the job.
“The business is just me talking to people," Stephens said. "They come in, they learn my story, they buy some stuff, they leave happy with smiles.”
Stephens isn’t trying to compete with other thrift stores in the area. In fact, she encourages customers to shop around. That’s because those other stores helped Clark’s Corner get started.
“I'm just one place that gives people an extra place to go, that's a little fun, a little bit of a treasure," Stephens said. "Just one extra thing for our town to do, because we don't have a lot.”
Although the store just opened, Stephens is already looking to expand. There’s a vacant space upstairs, which she’d like to turn into a low-cost consignment dress shop for children. Stephens says this could save parents a trip to Anchorage.
Aside from making sales, Stephens hopes Clark’s Corner will promote epilepsy awareness. A few epilepsy awareness banners hang on the walls and her hair is dyed purple – the color of epilepsy awareness.
Since opening day, Stephens says she’s succeeded in creating that dialogue. Customers have shared with her stories about their own struggles with epilepsy.
“I want people to know they're not alone," Stephens said. "They can come here and say, ‘Hey, this is how I feel.’ And I'm like,’ I got you. I felt that this is what you do.’”
Clark’s Corner is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They’re closed Mondays.
