For the past seven years, Donna has worked in the production department racking shelves at the arc store in Arvada. She loves working in the back section of the store and hanging out with her lovely coworkers. One of Donna’s favorite parts of working at arc as an Ambassador is that she gets to take all of the Arc University classes and go on the excursions with her friends and fellow Ambassadors.

Donna was part of this year’s graduating class from the Arc University program. She attended every single class offered throughout the year and loved every minute of every class!

Donna all of the Arc University classes, but in the end, she says that the course on gardening was her favorite. Donna’s other Arc University treasured moments include a trip to the movies to see Jurassic Park and going sailing, boating, and fishing. Donna’s most memorable Arc University trip was to see money being made at the Denver Mint.

When Donna isn’t at the arc of Arvada store or on a field trip with her fellow Ambassadors, she loves to take long walks and hangout with her friends outside. If it isn’t nice enough to walk outside, Donna loves to hang inside and color in her adult coloring books.

If Donna had to pick, she would be hard pressed to decide on just one superpower. She wished to have a flying car that could drive her to and from work super-fast, and that could take her to get ice cream if she was craving something sweet. She would also like to see into the future, and because she has a positive optimistic outlook on life she knows that everything will be just fine!

“I love my job,” Donna says. “There is not one thing I do not like about it, and there is not one thing I would change about it.”

Bobby works at the Arc of Arvada store, stocking bric-brac and moving shelves around throughout the store. Bobby has worked at arc for the past eight years after working at the Green Mountain store. He made the move to the new store because it was a much easier commute.

As Bobby stacks shelves and unloads all the intricate items, he loves to chat with customers and make new friends with the employees like his friend Donna. He recently graduated from Arc University and loves when he and his classmates get to go on a movie adventure for the day.

Bobby loves to be as helpful as possible around the store. You may recognize him working near the showcase and helping customers find exactly what they came in for. Bobby never shies away from introducing himself to a new friend or customer to see if he can make their day just a little bit better.

When asked, Bobby said that if he could have any superpower he would love to be able to fly to and from work in seconds. He would use his new-found free time to be with his friends and to take more Arc University classes.

One of my cardinal rules when shopping at arc Thrift Stores is to take my time in the furniture department and not disregard something based on paint or wood condition at a surface level. If I see something with a great shape or great bones, I try to look past any blemishes because things can always be refinished or painted.

I found some great pieces of furniture this summer at two of my favorite arc Thrift Stores and both needed some love. One of them was a long, low dresser that had a really amazing drawers with interesting wood grain but the top was damaged.

I don’t have the skills to totally refinish furniture yet, but I know enough to fill in gouges with wood filler and then used paint over top. I painted just the damaged part and left the beautiful drawers alone. I love how the white background makes them stand out even more.

The following week I found two vintage patio chairs across town at another arc Thrift. The bases had some rust on them but I liked the shape and the brand.

Spray paint is an invaluable tool when beautifying furniture. I did a couple quick coats and these guys are good as new and ready for cushions.

Never judge a piece of furniture by some minor boo-boos. Keep an open mind at arc Thrift Stores and you will be amazed at what you find.