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Store carries Girl Scout gear
Badge, sash business opens in Cumming
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Try-Its, an earned badge, hang on the shops wall. The store has a variety of patches, pins and other honors, and can order any they don’t carry. - photo by Jennifer Sami

There are hundreds of badges, Try-Its, patches and pins Girl Scouts of all ages can earn.

And now that Forsyth County’s Girl Scout Badge & Sash Store is open for business just down the hall from its branch office in Cumming, they can get them closer to home. (click here for a map to the location, 133 Samaritan Drive in Cumming)

“It’s kind of like one-stop shopping,” said Laura Skinner, Forsyth County membership specialist. “You can come in and you can get the Try-Its that you need for your troop, but if you have a question about membership, I’m here for that too.

“This really is the first time we’ve had the ability to get you your supplies and have your questions answered, all at the same spot.”

The shop is manned by Skinner, along with help from parent volunteers.

Forsyth County is home to more than 1,400 Girl Scouts and 600 participating adults. Though the new shop will meet local needs, Skinner said it draws customers from neighboring Cherokee, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.

Forsyth County falls under the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Council, which serves more than 40,000 girls in 34 metro counties.

Mary Forbes, retail marketing manager for the Atlanta council, said the organization has stores in Atlanta, Dalton and Griffin, but the new site will help serve Scouts in the northeast region.

“It’s a mini-store, but it has all the basic resources that the girls and adults need to carry out the Girl Scouts program,” she said.

The store sells everything from handbooks, uniforms and earned recognition to clothing and gift items.

All items the store carries are also available online, but Forbes said the stores are still popular. Plus, items bought online involve a shipping charge.

“I think people still like to feel, touch and see what they’re getting,” she said. “It’s a self-service store, so you just come in and get everything you need.”

Anything not on hand can be ordered and delivered at no charge.

“Having a shop locally, saves our volunteers a lot of hours that they can spend with the girls, rather than shopping or driving,” Skinner said.

E-mail Jennifer Sami at jennifersami@forsythnews.com.