Maybe it was the cheerful classical music. Maybe it was the table filled with free, tasty goodies provided by Susan Olson.

By Bill Lawyer   

Maybe it was the cheerful classical music. Maybe it was the table filled with free, tasty goodies provided by Susan Olson. Maybe it was the welcoming volunteers. Or maybe it was all of these and more that provided a steady flow of shoppers into the basement location of The Osborn’s Miriam’s Attic.  

The brightly lit space can be found by the parking lot entrance to the “4000” building, as it’s known by the helpful security guard at the senior residential facility’s entrance. Special welcoming signs are posted for cars coming in either direction. While there is no parking right in front of the entrance, parking is available on the road by the nearby residential units.  

On this particular Tuesday morning, three volunteers were on duty. These included Myra Sutro, who lives at The Osborn and is not shy about having her picture taken.  

For those who aren’t familiar with the “Attic” – it’s a repository for donated items that are sold to help raise funds to support The Osborn’s Charity Care program operations. Items include furniture, household and kitchen items (including a tomato slicer being bought that day), and women’s scarves, jewelry, and the like.

Much of the merchandise comes from people who are moving to The Osborn and need to get rid of things they no longer need or have room for. Others, like longtime Rye resident Roz Larr, who dropped by that morning to donate a safe and a double-pedestal dining table, are just doing it for charitable reasons. 

   
Among the shoppers was an Osborn employee, Lorna Thompson, who was thinking about buying a large hutch. Others were Rye resident Caitlan Verdier and Mamaroneck resident Harriet Baxendale, who consider themselves “regulars.” British expat Verdier says she has furnished much of her house with Osborn items, and Baxendale is a used furniture restorer on the lookout for bargains to repair and resell.  

The Attic is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. During December, special discounts are being offered in celebration of the shop’s fourth anniversary. For further information, contact Susan Olson at 925-8372.