‘‘Not only do you see all the new [products] that come in, but you meet all the consignors,” she said. ‘‘It’s been a very positive situation.”
Since December of 1971, The Fig Tree has served both Good Shepherd and the surrounding community. The store, a green trailer on church grounds at 818 University Blvd. West in Silver Spring, serves as a place for local crafters, or consignors, to sell their items.
The Fig Tree will close June 30, Achhammer said, due to a lack of volunteer workers and because the board of directors has become too old to keep up with day-to-day operations.
Changing demographics of the church’s congregation to younger, working mothers made volunteers scarce and the availability of reliable customers diminished, said the Rev. Patricia Downing, the rector at Good Shepherd for the past 11 years. Currently, the store is only open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, as opposed to longer hours in the past.
‘‘When this began, there were lots of women who worked in the home, and now there’s a lot of people that choose to work outside the home, and that limits the number of volunteers you can get,” Downing said.
The number of consignors has also dropped from around 100 at its peak to 51 now, Achhammer said.
The Fig Tree began as ‘‘an outreach to the community,” Achhammer said. Through the years it has survived changes in staff and church leadership, a fire in 1981 that destroyed the store, and construction of a new Good Shepherd Church building in 2002, which now takes up most of the property.
Downing hopes the open house can provide closure and a chance to reminisce with everyone involved over the years.
‘‘It completed what it set out to do and we’re going to celebrate it and rejoice over it,” she said. ‘‘The volunteers, the consignors, the customers will have a big celebration and say thank you.”
While the store is small, The Fig Tree offers a variety of items, including linens, baskets, handcrafted figures and plants, all provided by consignors or independent vendors. Some sell their work elsewhere, but a few have sold only at The Fig Tree.
Achhammer said each consignor pays $10 a year to use The Fig Tree and receives 75 percent of the revenue from sales of his or her products. Good Shepherd receives the other 25 percent, an amount that has not changed throughout The Fig Tree’s existence, Achhammer said.
Patty Mitchell, a church member for three years, said The Fig Tree is a great place to buy unique gifts and support a good cause.
‘‘The prices are sound and it’s nice to know that when I’m shopping, I support the church and local craftspeople,” she said.
Irene Yazge, a consignor at The Fig Tree for more than 20 years and a frequent volunteer at the store, knows the last days of the store will be sad ones.
‘‘Our shop is a pleasant place for our people to meet and talk,” she said. ‘‘Many customers come back and it’s always a joy to see them. There are a lot of weepy eyes; we have all depended on it.”
