On Saturday, May 2, Round Robin, an upscale resale store located at Marble Works, celebrated its 50th anniversary. Outside, picnic tables were set up for both face and rock painting, alongside a lemonade stand. Additionally, free homemade sweets were available to community members.
Round Robin was founded in 1975 by several women who wanted to address the need for affordable clothing in Middlebury. Starting as a consignment store, it has evolved into a resale store primarily dependent on community donations. The store specializes in women’s clothing, accessories, and shoes, but it also offers a men’s and home goods section. On their Facebook page, customers can preview the Round Robin’s quality pieces showcased that week through videos and posts. Since its founding, Round Robin has donated 100% of its proceeds to Porter Hospital, meaning that all staff are volunteers, not paid sales representatives.
“There wasn’t a place to buy inexpensive children’s clothing. And so these ladies, and they all had kids, and they were passing their clothes around, you know, hand-me-downs, they decided to start a shop for any low-income families,” Becky Huestis, a volunteer at Round Robin explained.
Robin Huestis, Becky Huestis’ daughter and a volunteer at Round Robin, was the main coordinator of the event.
“It’s been a long winter, and it’s nice to be able to have some fun,” Huestis said.
She explained how the crafts, lemonade stand, and yard games helped bring the town together for the celebration. Several other similarly oriented organizations and local businesses were present at the celebration, such as Junebug, Toad Hall Flowers, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Junebug, also a local resale store, specializes in children’s clothing, accessories for newborns to kids size 16, and maternity clothing. Toad Hall Flowers is a farmer-florist shop located in Marble Works. On Toad Hall’s terrace, they displayed dozens of beautiful planters with a sign inviting people to come in and prepare for their summer gardens. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library — a global book-gifting program that provides free, high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth until they turn five years old and a collaborator of Addison County Readers, Inc — ran a booth stocked with children's books and a bookmark craft.
“We’re here just to make ourselves known, and we’re giving away free books,” Dinah Bain said, a volunteer for the reading group.
Inside Round Robin, a crowd of customers sifted through the pieces. Volunteers chatted with longtime customers, greeting them and explaining the event layout as they shopped. Many families came in with their children, who especially enjoyed the rock painting and baked goods.
Students from the college also attended, excited by the festivities in the Marble Works parking lot.
“We just stumbled across this place because we were at the plant shop, and the guy at the front told us that there was a little event over here. And then we saw people painting rocks for free, and we were like, ‘Oh, my goodness, we need to go there.’ The lemonade is also really cute, really reminds me of spring,” Lillian Tracy ’29 said. Tracy stated that she has been to Round Robin before with her friends and appreciated their selection.
Lena Chow ’29 also attended the 50th anniversary, hoping to find something unique.
“I really love Round Robin because it’s a wonderful community thrift shop that’s locally run, so close to the college,” Chow remarked. “I think it's great that because of the amount of donations they get, there’s a constant rotation. So, week to week, you never know what you are going to find. The ladies there are also really easy to chat with – super nice and helpful.”
