Alma shop part of tribute to cancer victim

story by Marla Cantrell
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Lora Turner stands behind a cash register in what was once her mother-in-law’s home in Alma.

Now, the rock house is the Crown and Joy resale shop, a store that Lora, who is the general manager, calls a tribute to the woman who once owned it.

Stephanie Joy Rogers Turner was only 53 when she died of cancer in 2008. It was her second bout with the disease. Lora said her mother-in-law, who was a speech pathologist for Roland Schools, was an inspiration, both on how to live and how to face death. She did have one regret, though.

“Stephanie’s sister, Cindy Crawford, is the founder of Hannah House, which is part of the Tree of Life Ministries,” Lora said. “Stephanie always wanted to be involved in Hannah House — her sister Melody also works there. She planned to teach Bible classes there but then she got sick and everything changed.”

At Hannah House, young women, who are pregnant and unsure of what their futures hold, may stay at the faith-based group home, get counseling, and decide what’s to do once their babies are born. Lora said some of the mothers opt for adoption, while others decide to keep their children.

Stephanie left the house to the Tree of Life Ministries. Crawford decided to convert the house into a non-profit store as a way to earn money for Hannah House. But she also saw it as a training ground for the young women who stay there. Alma seemed like an ideal location, since resale shops are rare in the Crawford County town.

Donna Gurley, who is in charge of PR for the shop, said three Hannah House residents are working at Crown and Joy.

“The girls come out and work a couple of days a week,” Gurley said. “We’re very close. It’s good for them. If they  haven’t had jobs before it helps them with structure. … We laugh and have a good time. They see people who have their lives together.”

Crown and Joy, at 223 Collum Lane East in Alma, opened last month. The store fixtures and inventory were donated. The interior was repainted, remodeled and equipped with wraparound shelving in the garage, to hold the overflow of donations. Crawford said she expects to see a profit in the next few months.

“The expenses are salary for two part-time staff and utilities,” Crawford said. “We have not hit the threshold of being able to give to Hannah House, but with the store having more and more business we foresee giving to Hannah House by the end of July.”

Gurley said traffic is increasing weekly and they’ve noticed customers who return week after week hunting for the next big bargain. And even though the store isn’t on the main thoroughfare, Gurley said it’s turning out to be a great location.

“This road gets so much traffic,” Gurley said. “There’s a daycare behind us and we get traffic from that. In summer, when the water park opens up (which is just across the street), we think business will pick up even more.”

Right now, the biggest sellers are purses and baby clothes. There are clothes for children and adults as well, each in different rooms of the shop. Eventually, they want to add furniture to the mix.

Lora thinks about her mother-in-law every day and imagines how Stephanie would feel about the house she left behind.

“I think she would love it,” Lora said. “I think she would be really touched. Her heart was so much for reaching people and for missions. And to see the girls at Hannah House change as they go through the stuff they face — it’s just so amazing to see them grow.”