–by Mary Helen Darah
PUBLICATION DATE: Nov 1, 2020

The Cozy Cottage, formerly the Cottage Boutique, located on the campus of ProMedica Flower Hospital, opened its doors in 2018 as a resale shop. Originally the house was used for meetings for hospital staff. The vacant cottage is now filled with new and gently-used fashion finds, jewelry and home furnishings for the savviest of shoppers. Pat Hilfinger, longtime member of the ProMedica Flower Hospital Auxiliary, was one of the hardworking original developers of the project. Hilfinger saw the shop as a way to give back to the community.
There have been numerous donations of all kinds that needed to be sorted and organized. “During the pandemic, it was the perfect time to give the Cozy Cottage a makeover,” stated Auxiliary member Barbara Baumgartner. “Pat (Hilfinger) assembled a committee to give the Cottage a fresh look. Mary Chwialkowski, Kate Adams Nameche, Charlotte Murd and I were thrilled to oblige. We went through every piece of clothing to make sure items were clean and not missing any buttons or pieces. Because we had so many clothes, we were able to donate items we were unable to use to the ProMedica Clothes Closet to help those in need throughout the entire ProMedica system. We then focused our work on housewares. In keeping with CDC, we did not keep items that did not meet their guidelines. We donated blankets, sheets, and pillow cases to St. Paul’s.”
What remains is an array of coats, shoes, necklaces, and fun seasonal items. “We have leather coats, many brand names and Ohio State items as well,” stated Baumgartner. “In our upcoming fashion show, ‘Holly and Ivy’, to be held on Dec. 1 at the Inverness Club, there will be a runway scene featuring items from the Cozy Cottage.”
Proceeds will benefit ProMedica Flower Hospital’s numerous community projects. “Flower Hospital has used the funds in a variety of meaningful ways” said Baumgartner. “Funds in the past have been used for their rehabilitation center, three therapy beds and breast cancer research.”
The makeover team hopes the community will support the newly improved Cozy Cottage. “It’s a great way to shop for fun items and things you would normally spend a fortune on, such as an outfit for a special event, especially a costume event. There are so many themed parties and we have many items that would work.”
The group is in the process of solidifying their hours and days of operation but in the meantime, people may drop off gently used items for the Cozy Cottage by calling Sarah Hartung, volunteer coordinator at ProMedica Flower Hospital, at 419-824-1019.