Biz Buzz: HOPE story at Virginia Center Commons sells water that fuels organization’s mission.
Local nonprofit HOPE has opened a shop at Virginia Center Commons mall to raise money to support the organization’s efforts to help local families.
Ollie Harvey founded HOPE, which stands for Help Our People Eat, in 1999.
Since then, she has helped children and families who have fallen on hard times.
The shop’s main product is bottled water, which sells for $2 a bottle, plus T-shirts and other items, much of it donated, Harvey said.
The organization’s bottled water used to be carried at two area retail stores that have closed, Harvey said.
“Anything that you see in the store is donated to us.
We have candy, earrings, children’s jewelry, socks, sunglasses.” Stony Point Fashion Park will give free retail space to one enterprising startup for six months as part of a mall contest.
The winner gets free retail space and use of existing fixtures and utilities from Nov. 1 to April 30.
The campaign features an online store called “Maymont Memory Company” where people can make donations in exchange for virtual gift packages of blades of grass, rays of sunshine and boxes of rocks.