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When you sift through the wares at the Scene II by Hadassah thrift shop, you never know what treasures you’ll discover. But finding something deeper is all but guaranteed.
At this Hadassah resale store, more bang for your buck takes on new meaning: Shopping there supports Hadassah’s mission of saving and empowering lives.
The store itself has had a transformative journey, one that reflects resilience and strength.
Scene II by Hadassah in Pikesville, Maryland, is a Hadassah legacy — the last remaining resale store from a bygone era when several were sprinkled around the country. They popped up in the 1940s to raise money for Youth Aliyah, when Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold rescued Jewish children from Nazi Germany. Years later, fundraising expanded to support all of Hadassah’s lifechanging work.
Over time, stores began closing for a variety of reasons, including poor location, low foot traffic, lack of volunteers and Covid.
Scene II by Hadassah’s volunteer co-managers Barbara Black and Barbara Fink, both past presidents of Hadassah Greater Baltimore, attribute their store’s staying power to its some 20 dedicated volunteers and its donors.
“I think having volunteers who are dedicated to Hadassah makes for a much more pleasant shopping atmosphere than with people who are paid to be here from a certain time to a certain time,” said Fink, who manages the store’s marketing efforts.
And as the only remaining store, they receive boxes of donations from out of state. “Their mothers said they wanted all the things to go to Hadassah, and we're the only receptacle for that,” Fink added.
Though the store moved throughout Baltimore initially, starting downtown as a resource for immigrants, its home has been in the Baltimore suburb of Pikesville for the last 26 years, serving as a community hub and fostering connections.
“We have wonderful customers,” said Black, who oversees store operations. “We get to know them.”
Baltimore is an insular Jewish community, according to Fink, and most donations come in from Jewish families. Yet the store’s clientele comprises all races and religions and ages spanning 15 to 85.
Conveniently located in a strip mall, the store sees plenty of foot traffic, helping it net about $125,000 a year.
Volunteers and donors aside, one must also credit Black and Fink for the store’s success. The only region presidents (Black: 2019–2021, Fink: 2018–2020) to be so heavily involved, Black and Fink stepped in during Covid, when the paid staff was let go and the store was forced to close.
Money was tight, and the store’s lease was up, but going out of business for good was not an acceptable option for Fink and Black.
“Not on our watch,” said Fink.
Their ingenuity kept the store afloat. Moving products outdoors, they held sales in the parking lot. People came, masks and all. When they were able to move back indoors, volunteers old and new reported for duty.
What’s more, Black said, “All the new people actually became Hadassah members.”
“Being presidents, we really knew more of the breadth and width of Hadassah,” she said. “We explained it to everybody, and then they became more impassioned.”
They inspired Michele Allen, a customer-turned-volunteer-turned Hadassah member.
After hearing how Hadassah hospitals save countless lives, especially during the war in Gaza, Allen felt empowered to help. She’s now a member of the Hadassah Shira Chapter.
At first, though, Allen resisted even coming into the store to shop, despite the insistence of her friend who worked there. Upon her first visit, Allen left with a bundle of items, and she soon became a regular. She even offered up her services, from sewing buttons to fixing hems, which she has been doing as a volunteer once a week for the last three years.
“I look forward to coming in,” she said. Even with a schedule that is regularly stretched thin, “I love it, and I would never give it up,” she said. “It’s therapeutic and fun.”
For Black and Fink, managing the store is full-time work, being on-site all day for all four days the store is open. They’re united in their dedication to the store, and to Hadassah.
“I personally love that we're finding new cures for diseases and helping people,” said Black.
Fink, who also volunteers as vice coordinator for Hadassah’s national Marketing & Communications Division, feels a strong commitment to Israel and to fighting antisemitism. She said her work at the store is a way to proudly showcase her Zionism.
The community showed their own support for Israel, too, after October 7, 2023; the store received a check from a church for $250 to benefit Hadassah hospitals and saw a demand for Judaica jewelry.
“We had Stars of David on chains hanging around for years, and all of a sudden we couldn't keep them in stock,” said Fink.
Proving a job well done by all involved, Scene II by Hadassah was named a runner-up in the Best Boutique category of the Baltimore Jewish Times’ “2025 Baltimore’s Best.” The region’s fall opening meeting, which featured a fashion show with clothes and volunteer models from the store, was also chosen as runner-up in the Best Arts & Culture Community Event category. This event sold out and was attended by more than 200 people.
Hadassah Greater Baltimore, home to about 4,500 members, is also known for its annual Cell-A-Brate gala, which originally raised funds for stem cell research at Hadassah hospitals and now supports other Hadassah priority projects.
