Sophia Garlick Redwood aka Ms. Sophie was a longtime resident of Deerfield. In 1979 she came up with an idea to raise money for residents in need: she opened her closet. Ms. Sophie started selling some of her lovely clothes out of her apartment long before eBay or Poshmark took the internet by storm. In fact, she did this long before the internet. Her project grew to include donations from other residents as well and volunteers sold their gently-used and well-loved items from hallway cabinets.
In 2007 Deerfield Resident Bonnie Hull took over the leadership of Sophie’s and built an efficient operation where she carefully recruited and mentored volunteers. For 15 years Bonnie, with the help of her husband Jim, built Sophie’s to the thriving business it is today. To date Sophie’s has raised over $1,000,000, providing financial reassurance to residents for more than 40 years.
Last year Bonnie was honored by Leading Age NC with the Excellence in Community Service Award. Deerfield lost a great member of our community when Bonnie passed away earlier this year. Just like Sophia Redwood, though, her hardworking and generous spirit lives on. Sophie’s is open and continues to thrive as volunteers carefully pass on treasures raising money for the community. If you’re visiting Deerfield, please stop in and shop! Sophie’s hours are: Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
