Closing the Curtain on Encore
by Josh Wellinghoff
The first time I ever set foot into the Encore Resale shop, I was handed a set of keys and told that everything needed to be cleared out. The small retail space on Hyde Park Boulevard had run its course, and it was now my job to ensure what was left of the inventory could find a new home. In the course of a couple of days, and with the help of some volunteers, we managed to clear out the store to the satisfaction of the landlord and donate what was left to a resale shop out in Wheaton. Just like that, as quickly as I was introduced to Encore, I was locking the door for the last time. As I turned to walk back to my car, a tinge of sadness came over me. While I knew very little about Encore, when any ministry comes to an end, there is a certain element of sadness. Driving home that day, I decided to learn all I could about Encore, its history, and its impact.
It turns out that in order for me to learn about the essence of Encore, I had to go back to the beginning of Holy Trinity and HTC’s commitment to loving and serving our neighbors and neighborhoods. Before HTC was even established, our founding pastors, Jon Dennis and David Helm, had a vision that was central to HTC’s identity: to be in a location that was capable of sustaining family life yet at the same time close enough to the urban issues of poverty and moral decay to address them. In 1997, Pastor Jon wrote HTC’s philosophy of ministry that included a framework of five main spheres of witness—the world, the city, the neighborhood, the university, and the poor. It was the vision for a ministry of mercy to the poor that eventually morphed into Hope for Chicago, a faith-based outreach to the needy, empowering people to serve Chicago’s needy through mobilizing volunteers to serve. HTC, from its inception, was convinced that ministering to the poor was rooted in the very character of God, who actively shows concern for the underprivileged, the fatherless, and the weak.
Encore was founded on these principles, and the entrepreneurial vision and leadership of our founding pastors, for HTC to have a practical impact on the lives of those around us. When Grant Hensel, a member of HTC and a high school senior at the time, was challenged by his father to stop wasting time on the computer and do something productive, Grant brought the idea for a second-hand clothing store that benefited the community to the elders of Holy Trinity, who immediately recognized its potential as a tangible expression of HTC’s commitment to share the love of Jesus in Chicago. The goal of Encore was to not only provide used clothing at affordable rates to residents in Hyde Park but also generate profits to be used by Holy Trinity to foster lives of mercy and justice in Chicago. In the years to follow, Encore was often staffed and run by HTC congregants who shared the vision of Encore as a place to practically show love to the community in Hyde Park, Woodlawn, Oakwood, and Bronzeville.
As I continued on this quest to get to know this resale store I was given the task to close, my journey saw me reaching out to some of the various managers of Encore. HTC Hyde Park (now Christ Church) member Kristi Brockway was Encore’s first manager. Talking with Kristi, I was struck by the realization that this resale store was in fact a ministry as much as it was a place of business. When I asked Kristi to share with me key moments of her time at Encore she said, “I think that some HP residents thought of Encore as a second home. They would often stop in just to chat about their days and look for words of encouragement from employees and volunteers.”
The culture of Encore as a second home and place to encourage others was a recurring cry that echoed on in the many others I talked to about the store. Amy Dennis, who served first as a volunteer and then as an employee at Encore for seven years, explained Encore to me in this way:
Encore was people. People who wanted clothes, yes; but people who needed the love of Christ. When I think of Encore, I think of Sam Harvard, a homeless man who earned his last name from friends in his community, impressed by his constant reading. Sam struck up a friendship with the store employees. But he needed Encore. Once he needed gloves badly. He’d experienced frostbite on a particular freezing Chicago winter night and his fingers were extensively frostbitten, swollen, and curled from the cold. Another time Sam came in and said, “Now you are really in for it.” He had soiled his clothes straight through. The staff of Encore found him a new pair of pants and shirt and helped him change.
Sam’s is one of the thousands of stories from the residents in Hyde Park who benefited from Encore’s ministry. It was a common occurrence for customers to come into the store looking for a suit for a job interview, something that looked professional but didn’t break the bank. Encore was so unlike other businesses looking to turn a profit. Encore and the people who ran it truly cared for every person that walked through the door.
Shaney Swift, the last manager of Encore, who saw the store through till its bitter end, helping work with me on all of the final checklists for closing the store, reflected on what Encore meant to her saying,
We were known as a place in the neighborhood where homeless people could come in to get clothing. On multiple occasions, we gave away clothes for free or greatly reduced cost, and sometimes church members would donate money to pay for other people's clothing. This is probably the part of the business that I am the most sad about the neighborhood losing.
Encore gave back to the community not only by providing a much-needed service but through its staff being there for the customers and the community giving either money or clothes faithfully to Heartland Alliance, the Interfaith Council of Hyde Park, and Kenwood Academy to name a few.
The initial vision for Encore was for not just one but a series of thrift stores throughout the city that could benefit their communities in the same way that it had in Hyde Park. HTC has always taken big steps of faith to serve people and glorify God in our city. Though not every endeavor has ended the way we hoped or anticipated, we’ve not been afraid to trust our big God with a big dream. In fact, through my journey discovering the past of Encore, it’s clear to me that though it was a humble resale shop tucked away in a small corner of Hyde Park, it touched the lives of hundreds and continually pointed the community toward the kingdom of God. As I reflect on the sadness I felt in closing Encore for good, I can’t help but think that maybe where others see failure, God sees the faithful work of Encore and all those who were a part of it over the years.
On behalf of everyone at HTC, we want to thank those who served, donated, prayed for, and encouraged Encore.
Josh Wellinghoff joined the staff at Holy Trinity Church in May of 2019. He serves in our central office as the office administrator & congregational assistant. Josh and his wife, Natalie, live in Rogers Park, Chicago, and are members of the North Side congregation.