St. Anthony Christmas Market supports community mission

Store in St. Anthony putting on a Christmas market so big they have to open up a completely separate store. Doors open at 9 and people are, they've been lined up since about two hours ago. Let's check in with Shane Wells now as people are, what are they doing now? Good morning Shane. Good morning, well, they're still lined up. We'll show you that in a second. I just wanted to give you a lay of the land. So there's the Hidden Treasures thrift store in Saint Anthony. So then just kind of right across the road, but in the parking lot still, you have kind of their second overflow Christmas sale. And then this is the line, more chairs than humans, where are they at? They're in their car staying warm. Becca Olson isn't, though. She's here. You moved up the line a lot from last year. Tell us, last year's experience was your first year. Yeah, last year, my husband and I were here, and we were 62 and 63. And now this year, I'm number three. Good work. And what are you trying to get in there? I mean, nothing, but I'm here just for the experience. I love old Christmas stuff. I just think it's so much fun. And it's just, it's fun to meet some of the people that you meet in line and it's just a great time. Yeah. You guys seem like you're doing just fine out here. New besties too, I think. Right. All right. Thank you guys. Good luck once you get in there. Suraj, show us the way. You probably are wondering what everyone's waiting for. There's So much in here, including the Barbies I remember collecting when I was a child, but you got ornaments, you got trees, puzzles, jammies, mugs, and you have Nick Karstad with us as well. Nick, this place, Hidden Treasures holds a very special place in your heart. And it's important to note when you shop here, you are giving back and doing good. Yes, Hidden Treasures was a huge part of me getting my life back together. I was in addiction for many years. So I worked here for almost five years, and it really helped me get my life back together. So this is a huge raise of money for the mission here. And we have lots of other people just like me that are going through the early stages of their life getting back over at the store every day. So what's interesting, too, is you don't work here anymore. You came back to help out. This is an all-hands-on-deck type of an event. You said there are hundreds of thousands of items. Yes, we estimated, I believe we had like 1,200 or 1,300 boxes, large boxes of items to price, and we guessed around 100,000 items, all of which is done mainly by a team of volunteers. And then it's important to note, too, that this sale goes on beyond today. But today is opening day, so the doors open early, 9 a.m. today, going forward 10 to 6, Monday through Saturday. And there are Christmas items, too, at the other store, the main store, Hidden Treasures thrift store, has Christmas stuff, too. So it isn't just here. Pop and check out both these spots. But I heard you guys started pricing. They started pricing here in September, which is hard to believe. Yeah, we actually take Christmas year-round, too. So people are shocked by that. In the middle of summer, we'll get donations of trees and other ornaments. And we have another warehouse that we store, mainly store these items year-round. Yeah, you're right. You would need a lot of space for them. And a lot of people just admit that they basically rent it from us because they use it for the season. And they bring it and donate it back. And then we keep it for the summer. And they come buy it back. Okay, that's actually kind of genius. You get some all-new gear every year. to freshen it up. Nick, thank you. I appreciate the time. Thanks for letting us in here early. And again, doors open at 9 a.m. You saw the line. It is not too bad. You can get in there and still get in the door early and get your hands on some really good Christmas gear. Siraj, where you at? There you are. All right, we'll send it back to you guys. I lost him. He's in the forest. He's in the tree. Seriously, you get lost in that store. There's no question. All right.