Boutique History
Our namesake, Mary Durham, was an activist devoted to helping those who faced economic and social hardships. Mary taught English as a second language, counseled young people, and strove to help people grow in the ways they wanted to develop. In 1990, at the age of 90, she developed a plan and raised funds to create the Department of Spiritual Care at Cayuga Medical Center. The following year, the Ithaca Sunrise Rotary Club recognized her work and named her a Paul Harris Fellow for "service above self."
The Women's Opportunity Center is fortunate that her children have followed her example. When Mary passed away, she left her home in downtown Ithaca to her children. They, in turn, chose to donate the house to the Women's Opportunity Center, an organization that continues to carry out some of their mother's dreams and ambitions. We are privileged to have the opportunity to expand our services, and we express our deepest appreciation to the Durham Family for their generosity.
Retail Training Program
Our Retail Training Program is On-the-Job training designed to help women with limited work experience gain the skills necessary to find employment. Participants can learn administrative experience at the Women's Opportunity Center and retail experience at the Mary Durham Boutique. The Boutique is the Women's Opportunity Center's nonprofit, gently used women's clothing shop. Participants may be eligible to receive a small stipend after six weeks of practical training.
The Retail Training Program includes:
Hands-On Retail Experience
Customer Service Training
Administrative Experience including Office and Computer Skills
Register Training using QuickBooks Point of Sale
Computer Classes
Resume/Cover Letter Assistance
Job Search Assistance
Marketing and Inventory Skills
Mary Durham Boutique 110 W. Court St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 256-9957
Spring/Summer HOURS:
Sunday & Monday Closed
Tuesday & Friday 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
Wednesday & Thursday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
Saturday 12:00 PM-5:00 PM
Fall/Winter Hours:
Sunday & Monday Closed
Tuesday-Friday 10:00 AM-5:00 PM
Saturday 12:00 PM-5:00 PM
Donate to the Boutique
Donations are accepted daily. We are currently accepting gently used clothing and accessories from the past five years free of rips, stains, tears, or odors. Please fill out a receipt before donating. Donation receipts can be downloaded from the website or picked up from Mary Durham or WOC. Donations can be dropped off at either the Boutique or the Ithaca WOC office (address here).
Monetary donations are used to support all of the WOC's programs, including the Mary Durham Boutique. If you would like to make a monetary donation, please visit our donate page.