Shannon Karl walks through her new store, Daisy Lily Thrift Boutique, Boardman.

Living in Boardman, Shannon Karl would see people walking long distances to visit stores, and she wanted to open a store closer to them so they did not have far to walk, she said. The store she opened is called Daisy Lily Thrift Boutique. She opened it Wednesday, Dec. 1.

Karl, a former nurse with Columbia River Health, said she felt her greatest sympathy for mothers and their children. They do not have access to cars in many cases, or they have access but only when another family member returns home from work. This leaves them walking many miles, possibly 30 miles to Hermiston for a store.

A closer store was necessary, she said, and a secondhand store was ideal because there are poorer people in the area.

Daisy Lily Thrift sells a wide variety of donated items, from toys to clothing, books and more.

Opening the store Dec. 1, Karl said she is ready for Christmas. This means a lot to her, as she said much of her inventory is suitable for Christmas presents. But then, a lot about this store is important; even the store’s name is dear to her. She named the store after her daughters’ birth flowers, the daisy and the lily.

Makenzie Karl, born in April, has the daisy as a birth flower. Jasmine Karl, born in May, has the lily of the valley as a birth flower. The flower names come together to form Daisy Lily, which their mother used as the name of an earlier business, Daisy Lily Design. She then started making crafts to sell at local events.

She said she does not plan to continue attending local events. Instead, she will sell her coasters, dresses, picture frames and other goods exclusively at her new store.

This new career as a small business owner is exciting to her, she said. And while she intends to keep her nursing license and possibly look into online nursing work, she said, she wants to see if she likes her new work more.

“The medical field is not getting easier,” she said. She added that burnout is high in the profession. After 25 years in the field, she feels it is “a lot” and she wants a rest, she said.

She said she wants to be “a value to the community” through the thrift store.

“That’s the main thing,” she said. “I want people to have some place near to go that is budget friendly.”

She added that the store is not good just for the customers but for the donors. The inventory is obtained from donors, who want to dispose of things but do not want to throw perfectly good items away. Now, she said, they do not need to throw these items in the garbage. Also, they do not have to drive miles away to Hermiston or some other town with a Goodwill. Instead, they can drop off donations with Daisy Lily Thrift.