WOLCOTT — Lucas Powell made a wish, and Farm Friendly Finds Boutique was born at the end of 2023 in the cafeteria of a former elementary school turned into a center for entrepreneurs.
Even young ones.
“Don’t call it a thrift shop!” the gregarious 10-year-old warned. “It’s not a thrift shop; it’s a boutique, and I’m the manager. It’s my business; well, mine and my mom’s. She has stuff in here that’s hers, but I don’t charge her a consignment fee.”
The fifth-grader at Maranatha Baptist Church School in Lyons refers to himself as “The Kardiac Kid (spelled intentionally with a K). He suffers from an atrial ventricular septal defect, a birth defect of the heart in which there is a hole in the wall that divides the upper chambers of the organ. So far, in his 10 years, his mother Linda said Lucas has had four open-heart surgeries, the first when he was just 5 days old. His last one was in 2018. And, he may need more.
When he was recovering from his last surgery, Linda learned that he was eligible to apply for Make-a-Wish.
The Wolcott resident didn’t want a trip to Disney or anything like that. An avid follower of “Pawn Stars,” “American Pickers” and “Storage Wars,” Lucas thought he’d take a stab at setting up his own store where he could sell collectibles and anything else that caught his attention. He’d been acquiring things for quite some time, using money from his allowance, with that intention.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. Contrary to how Make-A-Wish is sometimes perceived, it is not a “last wish” or a wish for a terminal child. The wish experience brings hope, strength, and joy to a child with a life-threatening medical condition.
Across the world, a wish is granted every 41 minutes.
The staff in the Western New York office of the agency was excited about Lucas’ wish and supports his initiative, but some of its regulations prohibit it from giving money directly to youngsters or covering operational costs such as rent.
“They are still investigating what they can do for him,” Linda said. “They even suggested he make another wish, but this is what he wants.”
Benjamin Marchione, regional director of Make-A-Wish, said the organization is checking to see if they can get Lucas some specialized display cases. He said they fully support his wish and will do whatever is possible.
So, Linda Powell went ahead and rented the cafeteria at Florentine Hendrick Elementary School with the intention of opening the store for Lucas. The school, which closed in 2011, is privately owned and now is home to the boutique and a few other businesses.
They quickly filled the space with things Lucas had collected, along with items that belonged to Linda she decided to part with — everything from antique furniture to toys, household goods, and collectible stuff, like a 1950 Hubley cast-iron tractor that Lucas has marked at $40.
“He seems to know how to value things,” Linda said, noting that Lucas usually sets the prices and does a lot of research.
“I told her not to buy those comics that she has,” Lucas admonished his mother. “I warned her. Those aren’t the ones that sell.”
Linda, who bought them anyway, sighed. “He was right.”
As they dug through some newly acquired items, Lucas found more than 100 photographs of quilts he predicts he can sell for about $1 each to people who are avid sewers and are always looking for new patterns to copy.
There were brand-new patterns of vintage clothes from Butterick, McCalls and other companies. “It’s too bad we don’t have the catalogues,” Linda said.
Another thing Lucas hopes to bring into the shop to sell: a 6-foot-tall gumball machine that he’s seen for sale.
“Can you imagine how many gumballs that would hold?” he asks. “Who wouldn’t want something like that?”
While a visitor was admiring a bookshelf, Lucas sidled over. “I know it says $40, but I will sell it to you for $30,” he offered. “If you need it, that is.”
It sold.
“He’s like that. He will negotiate,” Linda said. “He likes to make a deal. I’m here to teach him how to run the business, but there’s a lot he already knows.”
Lucas also likes to play games — he’s 10, after all. Lucas offered a visitor a game of Bingo, even though he was not quite sure what the rules were.
Yet, he can price things like Pokémon items and pottery, and antiques. And, he is planning sales, especially on toys, because he wants children to find bargains.
“I think we’ll have a 10% off sale for those 12 and (younger),” Lucas said.
“We are going to have a formal grand opening on May 11,” Linda said. “We’re trying to get some vendors. We have a chainsaw artist coming. We’re looking for a balloon sculptor. And it’s Mother’s Day, so we’ll have someone come with flowers.”
Lucas is confident the store is going to succeed. He plans to continue to have the store when he’s grown up, but someone else will have to run it full-time. He wants a career in law enforcement.
“No matter what happens with Make-A-Wish, we’re going to have a donation jar in here,” Linda said. “We want to give to help make wishes come true for other children like Lucas.”
