Et Cetera Shop, Inc. of Bluffton, will hold a garden tour June 29-30. The tour is one of several events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the organization which created a network of nonprofit shops in Bluffton.
Tickets for the garden tour are $5 per person and are available at Et Cetera Thrift Shop (327 N Main), Bluffton Ten Thousand Villages (115 S. Main) and Book ReViews (123 S. Main).
Gardeners hosting stops on the tour:
- JP and Tim Schumacher, 127 Riley St.
- Tim Byers, Et Cetera Shop Cozy Garden, 327 N. Main St. (near the drop-off platform on Washington St.)
- Beth Boehr, 126 Jackson St.
- Jodi and Dave Miller, 207 Swiss Circle
- Larry and Bev Armstrong, 203 Swiss Circle
- Bruce and Keith Augsburger, 217 S. Main St.
Representatives from all three shops will be at the gardens.
Initially opened as a thrift and gift store in 1974, Et Cetera was created by the late Lois Sommer Kreider, and was sponsored by local Mennonite churches. Today, Et Cetera Inc. is operated by a non-profit board and is sponsored by local churches, including First Mennonite, Bluffton; Bluffton Presbyterian Church; Grace Mennonite, Pandora; Salem Mennonite, Elida; Lima Mennonite, Lima; and English Lutheran Church, Bluffton.
Et Cetera Shop, Inc. is part of a network of not-for-profit stores that support local and global relief, development, and peace projects of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC.)
Anniversary celebrations still to come:
- Customer appreciation day at all three stores
- Comforter bash to benefit Mennonite Central Committee on October 19 at the Arthur Lugibihl Center, Pandora, to benefit Mennonite Central Committee
- Community thank you event
- Repurposing and kids crafts at Bluffton Family Recreation.
Suzann Bauman is the garden tour committee chairperson.
