Event Spotlight: Ribbon Cutting at Retreat Boutique

Port Jefferson's newest thrift shop at 13 Chandler Square wants the community to join when they cut the ribbon Thursday at 5 p.m.

The Retreat boutique's donations and sales benefit The Retreat, an East Hampton-based non-profit organization that helps victims of domestic violence.

This is the second such thrift shop for The Retreat, which provides a 24/7 crisis hotline, counseling, legal advocacy, and a shelter for women and other people who are experiencing such abuse.

The 26-year-old organization received more than 3,100 calls to its domestic violence crisis hotline in 2012, a figure up 35 percent since 2011.

Located across from Chandler Square's ice cream parlor, the 800-square-foot opened at the start of April with limited hours during the springtime: Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Boutique manager Jackie Carter said the thrift store will expand its hours during Port Jefferson's busy summer season.

The organization also recently started www.TheRetreatBoutique.org, which offers the advantage of wider inventories and shopping from home at any hour of the day or night.