Ocean City woman runs thrift shop to help animals and community

Donna Kelly’s Oh-Sea Thrift store in Ocean City is more than a cool spot for vintage and antique finds: It’s a community hub that helps fuel the missions of local animal shelters and wildlife rescue organizations.

Every dollar of each retro jacket and nifty mug sold is donated to helping local animals in need.

Kelly opened the secondhand store about four years ago, with the purpose of donating all proceeds to benefit animals in need.

The shop offers a plethora of furniture, kitchenware, holiday decorations, clothing, shoes, accessories, antiques, crystals and other household items.

Oh-Sea Thrift is staffed entirely by volunteers. It is open Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is located at 841 Central Ave., right beside the police station.

“I love animals, and I really wanted to do something good for them,” Kelly explained of her store. “It’s been really successful. There has been a lot of support from the community.”

Prior to opening Oh-Sea Thrift, Kelly was a stay-at-home mother caring for two sons, Rob and Chris Kelly.

They moved to Ocean City from Bucks County, Pa., because her sons fell in love with surfing after trying it out on a visit. Since then, Rob and Chris have both become successful professional surfers. Donna Kelly has traveled all over the world with them, chasing waves and contests. 

    Oh-Sea Thrift store volunteer Elizabeth Pedrick, right, waits on a customer.
  

Kelly said when she turned 58 years old, she decided to embark on her new endeavor of Oh-Sea Thrift to help the community, local animals and wildlife.

“I decided I’d like to do something in the community that would help our local animals and wildlife,” Kelly said. “My friends said, ‘It’s going to change your life, but you should do it.’ I knew it would change my life for the better.”

Kelly noted that throughout her life she’s volunteered anywhere she has been able – helping out at thrift stores, walking dogs for shelters and friends, helping raise money for people with cancer, and more. She said the fulfillment she got from volunteering led her to open the shop.

“I’d do whatever I could do to help because I was blessed that I didn’t have to work,” Kelly said. “So this is what that volunteering evolved into.”

Kelly said her sons largely inspired her to open the store in 2021, just after the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she turned to advice that she always gives them as she was contemplating the idea of opening the shop.

“I believe when you’re blessed, you should bless other people,” she said. “I always told my kids that you should be nice to everybody, and always look for opportunities to help.”

    Judy Cantin, founder of Mew to You, credits Donna Kelly for greatly helping her cat rescue and adoption center.
  

All proceeds from Oh-Sea Thrift are donated to animal shelters and wildlife preservation organizations. Kelly said the outlets she’s donated to the most are Mew to You, which is a local cat rescue and adoption center, local wildlife rescues, and the Ocean City Humane Society, where she recently adopted and saved a Maltese dog that was sick with a liver shunt and needed surgery.

“Donna is very helpful to us because we rely on donations from private individuals and organizations,” said Judy Cantin, founder and director of Cape Atlantic Citizens Altering the Strays (CATS) and Mew to You. “She’s helped us tremendously with her donations through what her organization does.”

Kelly said one of her favorite parts of owning and operating the store is the shared gratitude between her and others in an organization when she donates to a cause, knowing animals will be helped as a result.

Another one of her favorite parts, she said, is working with her fellow volunteers and connecting with customers and patrons. 

Oh-Sea Thrift volunteer Elizabeth Pedrick described Kelly as inspiring, caring and lots of fun to work with.

“It’s unbelievable how much she’s been able to do to help the Humane Society and wildlife rescue for the birds, foxes and rabbits,” Pedrick said. “She’s done a lot and has been able to take care of a lot of animals.”

    Oh-Sea Thrift shop features an array of kitchenware and other items, with all sales supporting local animal-aid organizations.