Retired couple donate their $2,400 in stimulus checks to cover struggling Plano costume shop’s payroll

A retired SMU professor and his wife, a retired florist, let their stimulus checks sit in their bank accounts for a month before a Dallas Morning News article helped them decide how to spend their combined $2,400.

They sent it to a Plano costume shop struggling to make payroll.

Richard Hawkins, who retired in 2014 after 42 years as a sociology professor at Southern Methodist University, said he had never heard of Dallas Vintage Shop until he read about its COVID-related financial troubles in The News on June 6.

The shop that once made $3,000 a day selling authentic costumes for lavish parties across Texas was decimated after all events and parties were canceled nearly overnight in March. On some days since then, sales shrank to $0.

“It was a way to personalize our contribution to society by giving it to someone who seemed deserving of it,” Hawkins said.

Before donating the money, Hawkins called the store to speak to its owner, Jerry Purvis, who said he was excited and grateful for the donation. A few days later, Hawkins got a thank you note back, signed by all the employees.

“We tried to keep this as anonymous as possible, but that’s obviously not going very well,” Hawkins said with a chuckle.

The money will go toward an employee paycheck fund Purvis set up after the store’s Paycheck Protection Program loan ran out.

“We all appreciate him so much,” Purvis said. “That donation really helped us catch back up on finances. It will nearly cover a week’s payroll.”

What struck Hawkins the most was Purvis’ drive to save all his workers, even after the Small Business Administration told him the best thing to do would be to fire his employees so they could collect unemployment. The small shop is run by six employees, including four single parents, one of whom supports her family in El Salvador.

“I was struck by his dedication to keep everyone employed even though he didn’t have to do that,” Hawkins said. “He’s making personal sacrifices going without air conditioning in his truck. He’s willing to sweat for his people, which is great.”

Hawkins was also impressed by Purvis’ quick thinking to pivot his store to making cloth face masks as a way to bridge the gap in finances until events and parties are acceptable again.

“I was struck by his willingness to convert his whole operation to do something that made sense for the pandemic,” he said. “I thought it was brilliant. So I wanted to donate as a way to say, ‘Way to go.’”

Hawkins’ wife, Fran, said she was immediately on board with her husband’s idea.

“He’s a special man who is always doing special things for everyone,” she said about her husband of 55 years.

Purvis said the shop had its best day since COVID-19 hit the day after The News’ article ran, with about $2,500 in sales.

Now sales are up and down, averaging about $500 a day, enough for him to pay his employees and utilities. He said he’ll continue to forgo a paycheck. He also needs to pay the store’s rent, cover insurance and, eventually, fix his truck’s air conditioning.

Purvis, 67, had talked to his accountant in February about the possibility of retiring, but now that’s on hold.

“It’ll be at least another year but that’s OK,” he said. “I enjoy the heck out of my job.”