Grand Rapids thrift store returns a piece of history to a Cherokee museum

By Skyla Jewell-Hammie | SJewell-Hammie@mlive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Three weeks ago, a thrift store volunteer in West Michigan came across something priceless.

At least, that’s what local vintage enthusiast Blake Glupker thought when he started his volunteer shift on a Wednesday afternoon in late February.

The porcelain teacup and saucer set was made in the 1940s or 50s by Enco, Inc, when they launched their "Views of America" collection. The sets featured American landmarks and scenic views and were sold as souvenirs across the country.

He’s been working at New 2 You on 29th Street on the southeast side of Grand Rapids for the past eight years, so he is used to coming across unusual items.

What he pulled from the donation shelf recently really piqued his interest: a teacup and saucer trimmed with 22K gold, depicting a tribal chief, with the words “Cherokee Indian Reservation” printed on the outside of the teacup and on the inset of the saucer.

“I happened to see it, and it was one of those things where if you’ve never seen one before, it strikes your interest,” Glupker said. “I was fascinated.”

With the green light from his manager, he took the donated item home to do more research on it —something he’s done half a dozen times when he finds a donation to be more than what meets the eye.

After diving into his research, Glupker decided to just call the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.

To his surprise, he reached the principal chief himself, Michell Hicks. They talked for 20 minutes, with Hicks even inviting Glupker for a cup of coffee.

“I asked him, ‘Do you have a museum? Because I have a teacup,’” Glupker said.

At first, Evan Mathis, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the Cherokee People, thought Glupker was trying to sell the teacup set to them.

But that wasn’t the case. New 2 You hoped to donate the set to ensure it ended up in the right hands.

“To them, it’s priceless. To us, it just goes to where it’s supposed to go,” Glupker said. “Because this is a Christian thrift store, our hearts are in the right place.”

New 2 You confirmed that the porcelain teacup and saucer set was made in the 1940s or 50s by Enco Inc., when they launched their “Views of America” collection.

The sets featured American landmarks and scenic views, sold as souvenirs across the country.

Pictured is the bottom of the donated teacup.

Glupker said the Cherokee Indian Reservation set is especially rare, according to his conversation with the North Carolina museum.

The museum’s committee quickly met to discuss the donation and asked Glupker to sign a release form.

By March 4, the museum approved the donation, and the teacup set was shipped to North Carolina.

Although it’s already been sent to the museum, Glupker said the teacup set most likely won’t be on display for a while.

New 2 You General Manager Andrea Robinson said staff at the thrift store are familiar with the process of donating back to history rather than profiting off the items.

In the past, New 2 You has donated historic items to the Grand Rapids African American Museum and the Zekelman Holocaust Center in Metro Detroit.

“There’s no point in us making money off of those things, so we shouldn’t,” Robinson said. “One of the things we want to do is provide for the next generation, and we do that in our store every day by selling clothes, houseware or furniture. But the other way is through education and helping them understand history. It’s an important part of what we do.”

The nonprofit thrift store operates in conjunction with Grand Rapids Christian School. Every student this year was able to receive $550 off their tuition due to New 2 You.

Both Robinson and Glupker hope that, in some ways, the story of the teacup set’s journey to North Carolina allows people to see the value and worth in something.

“I think it’s the Lord working. It just struck my interest, and I see hundreds of teacups,” Glupker said. “If I can educate or show people kindness, I will. If we can get one person to do that in someplace else, we’ve done our job.”