Hurricane thrift store helps place rescued objects to support nonprofit’s mission placing rescued animals

BAM's Orphaned Objects, a thrift store benefiting local animal rescue organization Because Animals Matter, is located in a house on Main Street, Hurricane, Utah, Jan 6, 2022 | Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

HURRICANE —On Main Street in Hurricane, just walking distance from the Mercantile antique shop, sits a house with purple trim, turquoise shutters and bric-a-brac, a fence adorned with paw prints and a huge old stuffed Winnie the Pooh keeping watch through the attic window.

It’s not a regular home but instead headquarters to BAM’s Orphaned Objects, a thrift store benefiting the local nonprofit Because Animals Matter, which houses rescue animals, ensures they get medical treatment, then places them in foster homes where they can get acclimated to family life. They also adopt out animals after screening potential pet owners for compatibility. The volunteers who keep BAM running take every step of the process seriously.

“All rescues are priceless,” Orphaned Objects store manager Becky Timmons said.

Visitors to the associated thrift store are greeted by the friendly faces of  Timmons and fellow volunteers Terry Deems and Mardi Noetling. The women, retirees brought together by a mutual love for animals, keep the store filled with laughter and the shelves stocked with a steady supply of curios, consignments and collectibles.

This month there’s another smiling face on hand in the store, a portrait of late comedian and animal activist Betty White set up on the counter next to a donation box.

Comedian and animal activist Betty White, who died on Dec. 31, has inspired a surge of giving to rescue organizations, Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 6, 2022 | Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

It’s a nice likeness of the “Golden Girls” star, who died on Dec. 31 at age 99. Flashing her trademark impish smile, she holds a dog and cat in her lap and is flanked by a golden retriever. The photograph is accompanied by a petition that White’s birthday, Jan. 17, be set aside as “Betty White Day,” a holiday people can commemorate by donating to animal rescue organizations.

“Betty White made a difference with animals, with her advocating,” Timmons said. “She had up to 10 dogs at one time. She is known for her love of animals.”

The same can be said for Timmons, who’s had as many as 14 dogs at one time in her life. She was born with a heart for creatures great and small.

“A bird was on the ground and fell out of the nest, I would climb the tree to put it back,” she said. “If there was an animal that was in the middle of the street, I would move it.”

Originally from Anaheim, California, Timmons brought her passion for animals with her, quite literally, when her family moved to LaVerkin.

“There was a turtle in the middle of the street. I told my dad, I’m not moving,” she said. “I’m not leaving unless you put that turtle in the truck. … That was at 10 years old.”

L-R: Orphaned Objects volunteers Mardi Noetling, Becky Timmons and Terry Deems run the thrift store benefiting the local Because Animals Matter pet rescue organization, Hurricane, Utah, Jan 6, 2022 | Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

Some 52 years later, Timmon’s passion for animals continues unabated. She has four dogs, all rescues, including a Yorkie, chihuahua, Yorkie-chihuahua mix and a pit bull. The latter is a gentle giant who provides comfort and companionship to Timmons’ husband, who after 21 years of military service lives with post-traumatic stress syndrome.

One of BAM’s most dedicated volunteers, Timmons loves seeing the difference they make in the lives of animals.

“I always tell people that we opened to help with medical,” she said. “A lot of dogs are going to be euthanized because people can’t afford to do amputation or eyes or dental or cancer. That’s what I believe we’re here for.”

Two more ‘Golden Girls’ pitch in

Deems grew up in Missouri, lived for nearly a decade in Las Vegas and then, 30 years ago, moved to first to Hurricane and then LaVerkin. She started her involvement with BAM in 2014 by becoming a foster mom. She started by caring for a “bonded” dachshund and chihuahua pair. It took her nearly a year, but she finally found a good home for the duo. Since then, her track record at placing rescue animals has been spotty.

“Needless to say, mine have all been foster fails. I adopt,” she said.

Terry Deems, one of three volunteers who keep BAM’s Orphaned Objects running, showcases the establishments food pantry for pet owners having trouble making ends meet, Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 6, 2022 | Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

After losing three long-term pets, there are less paws around her house at the moment, but she still has a rescue dog. Deems’ daughter and three grandchildren live with her and have contributed further to the menagerie. One grandson has a tarantula and a ball python. Her granddaughter is the proud owner of a parakeet.

Noetling is the latecomer of the group, both when it comes to Southern Utah and pets. Born in New Jersey, she spent decades moving from place to place, usually living in apartments that didn’t allow animals. When she retired to Hurricane in May 2016, she moved in with her sister, who was involved in animal causes.

“She got me hooked,” Noetling said. “I came out in May of 2016 and learned all about BAM and what they’re doing. … I was retired and not really doing much. I showed up the day they (the thrift store) opened and said, ‘Do you mind any extra help?’ and I’ve been here ever since.”

Like most BAM volunteers, Noetling has taken her work home. She first adopted a pekingese who’d been emotionally neglected. Having never been allowed in her former owners’ house, Millie was initially a ball of nerves.

“You’d just look at her, and she’d pee and poop herself,” Noetling said. “Now she’s is a little social butterfly.”

Noetling has another rescue who’d been attacked by a couple of pit bulls. She says he was a mess when they got him from the vet.

“It’s been a year and a half-now, and he’s a sweetie,” Noetling said. “He just loves everybody.

BAM’s Orphaned Objects started small, not long after BAM purchased its first building in 2015. They inaugurated the facility with an adoption event and soon after put on a Christmas yard sale. The event was such a success, the BAM board decided the nonprofit should open a thrift store, Timmons said.

“None of them knew anything about thrift stores, so a good friend of all of ours recommended me because I’ve ran thrift stores, I’ve ran antique stores, I’ve done consignment shops,” she said. “And I says, ‘Yeah, what else do I have to do?”

In fact, for some time, antiquing was exactly what Timmons had to do. Luckily, she enjoyed the endeavor.

“I was on disability for years,” she said. “The only way I could survive was to go to yard sales and thrift stores and purchase things that I knew what it was because of my experience to make money so I could survive.”

With the thrift store,  Timmons is back in the retail reselling business. Still, the animals at the center of the enterprise are always in evidence. A ginger tabby named Scarlett frequents the shop, navigating shelves displaying china and other breakables with surprising grace.

Scarlett, a ginger tabby that frequents BAM’s Orphaned Objects, enjoys the attention of a visitor to the thrift store, Hurricane, Utah, Jan. 6, 2022 | Photo by Sarah Torribio, St. George News

“She thinks she owns the store,” Timmons said of their feline friend.

There’s also a dogs-welcome policy, so many customers come with their pooches in tow. On a recent visit, regular Carmen Peralta walked in with her poodle-retriever mix Brandy.  The pup strolled in wearing fur and walked out wearing tweed in the form of a sporty dog coat that was a perfect fit.

Louis Gillian next came to browse, sans dog. He and his wife frequent the thrift store once or twice a week. His current project is finding cooking vessels he can use with his antique wood stove. He figures if the grid ever gives out, he’ll still be able to cook.

“They’ve got things here that you wouldn’t even imagine,” he said. “And the ladies, they are so ornery, we love them.”

Pet owners who are in need are cared for too. The women maintain a pet food pantry, mainly stocked with cat and dog food, in a closet in their office. They opened it during the start of the pandemic, when food hoarding extended to kibble, leaving market shelves bare.

Deems, Noetling and Timmons give to the cause four days a weeks, donating their time to ensure that the thrift store is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The shop is frequented by locals and tourists alike, ready to dive into a hodgepodge of dishware, lamps, statuettes, toys, wall decor, linens, jewelry, books and records.

For those who look, there’s gold to be found in this small but integral part of the town’s antiquing and thrifting district.

BAM’s Orphaned Objects is located at 72 N. Main St. in Hurricane. More information is available at the shop’s website.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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