This week's top picks from our staff

Vintage Adolfo for Saks Fifth Avenue knit skirt suit. 

Size: medium 

Comme des Garçons sheer pleated maxi skirt. 

Size: small

Vintage cardigan with beaded butterflies.

Size: extra small

Vintage Varsity sweater with hand sewn felt letters. 

Size: extra small

All of these great pieces and more are available at Mannequin now! Check back next week for another post of some of our favorite things. 

WE'RE MOVING!

But don't worry, we won't be moving far.   We love being in OTR, so we're just taking a hop, skip, and jump over to 1311 Main Street, still well within walking distance for all of our neighbors and still in the OTR loop for visitors. Check out our awesome new doors!

Mannequin has enjoyed more than three years at Vine street.  When we opened up as a shop, we pioneered the 1400 block on Vine Street, and have since carved out a nice little business. Our first retail location has provided us with a beautiful transition from the event-based warehouse fundraiser that was started by the National Council of Jewish Women.  It's now time to spread our wings into a slightly larger space that is better suited for the needs of the business.  

As we transition to our new location, these are the essential dates you'll need to know:

June 11 - 14 (Wed - Sat):  Yard Sale days at 1405 Vine Street

June 14 (Sat.): our last regular business day at 1405 Vine Street

July 13 (Sun.):  Second Sunday on Main, and our target date for having the new shop up and running.    Business hours will be similar in the new location, with more special events on our calendar. 

TBD in September:   OUR GRAND OPENING

TBD in October:  OUR ANNUAL FUNDRAISER  

As always, we are a volunteer supported organization, and we will be giving our proceeds to the same great local charities.   If you want to help with the move or get involved as a volunteer, please contact Amber Zaragoza at mannequinboutique1405 AT GMAIL dot com.  

We have a little wishlist of non-clothing donations for our new store, so if you have any of the following items to contribute, we would be very grateful:

plastic storage bins with lids

printer with scanner

speakers

clothing iron

ironing board

dehumidifier

old wood frame windows in sets of four (matching, for a project)

antique wooden doors (for a display project)

old wooden ladders, full-size (for display project, but helpful if it is also functional)

leftover giftcards for hardware stores (even if it only has a few cents left, we've got lots of hardware to buy)

As always, the best thing you can do to help us raise money for the non-profits we give to, please help us spread the word.   

Mannequin's Charity Spotlight: Lighthouse Youth Services

This is the first in a series of spotlights on the charities that Mannequin Boutique benefits. Mannequin Boutique is a non-profit whose proceeds go to seven different charities in the city of Cincinnati.

One of those charities is Lighthouse Youth Services.  Lighthouse Youth Services has been helping children and families in the Cincinnati area since 1969, when a group of church women wanted to help girls who were released from correctional institutions and had nowhere to go.  In keeping with its name, Lighthouse Youth Services serves children and youth from prenatal to 24 years of age.  Lighthouse helps youth by teaching independent living skills, providing programs for those with mental health diagnoses, providing care for homeless youth, and youth in the foster care system, by placing them with caring families. Except for programs located in Dayton and Bainbridge, Ohio, Lighthouse programs are local.

One of these programs is the Lighthouse Community School.  The Lighthouse Community School is a charter school sponsored by Cincinnati Public Schools.  It offers classes for children who have had difficulties in other learning environments.  This past May, seven students graduated with high school diplomas!

The Lighthouse Youth Center at Paint Creek is a juvenile correctional institution in Bainbridge, Ohio, that serves young men from all over Ohio.  During the annual state inspection last year, the institution was called a “model of rehabilitation.”  The campus includes residence halls, a gymnasium, a library, a greenhouse, and a charter school. Last spring, the Paint Creek Academy saw 26 residents graduate with high school diplomas.  Paint Creek residents also raise tilapia and grow plants and fruit to sell in the local communities.

Though there are numerous programs that Lighthouse Youth Services runs to support local youth in need, I will touch on just one more.  In 2010, construction began for the Lighthouse Sheakley Center for Youth, named for generous Lighthouse supporters Rhonda and Larry Sheakley.  The Sheakley Center for Youth is a 28-bed homeless shelter and drop-in center for young adults, age 18-24.  Between the Sheakley Center for Youth and the Lighthouse Youth Crisis Center (an emergency shelter for children, age 10-17), Lighthouse has served over 2,000 children and young adults in the past year.

Lighthouse Youth Services is a beacon of hope for all children and youth in Cincinnati.  Mannequin is honored to support such a fine organization and encourages you to consider volunteer opportunities at Lighthouse Youth Services. To discover these volunteer opportunities and to learn more, check out http://www.lys.org.