Becky Pieplow and two of her grandchildren in a 2014 photograph. A special fundraising sale will be held at Pimentos on Market Street this Saturday to honor Pieplow's memory.

Becky Pieplow meant many things to the ladies who work at Pimentos on Market Street, but she also meant so much more to the community, said store owner Teresa Brodie.

“Everything Becky did for 13 years meant something, not just to the store, but to the community,” Brodie said Thursday.

This Saturday, Pimentos will donate 20 percent of all sales to the Becky Pieplow Distinguished Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is a reflection of Pieplow’s dedication to education since she was a school teacher long before she worked at the Athens home décor shop.

Pieplow, 62, died suddenly in February from cancer. Her husband, Tom, said that after nearly 32 years of marriage, setting up the memorial scholarship was a logical progression.

“It just seemed like a natural thing to do,” he said.

All items from the store are included in the fundraising promotion, including Troll Beads, which is a line of charms bought to create custom charm bracelets. Brodie said Pieplow was known as the “Troll Bead Queen” around the store, because she knew almost everything about the brand and its products.

“It’s just kind of my way to honor her,” Brodie said about the fundraiser. “I just felt like it was something I needed to do.”

Aside from Saturday’s event, Brodie said she plans to hold another fundraiser around Oct. 3, which was Pieplow’s birthday. The Pimentos crew plans on hosting the two fundraisers each year from now on. Brodie said she hopes having the events helps her employees to know that what they do makes a difference.

“I hope it just shows them how valuable they are,” she said.

Most importantly, Brodie said she’s excited to know the money will benefit a student who may not have the best grades, but wants to go to college and make a difference in the world. She said she believes it’s what Pieplow would have wanted.

“School was important to Becky,” she said.

Tom and the Pieplow’s two daughters endowed the scholarship for any program at Athens State University. They decided to give first preference to applicants who came out of the Rocket City Rocks Boxing Club. Kids in the club are mostly inner-city and deserve a helping hand to get to college, Tom Pieplow said.

“We just felt since a lot of those kids wouldn’t get a break otherwise, we’re going to help them,” he said. “We just felt good about that and knew it would be something Becky would like.”

While the scholarship is endowed by Becky’s family, Tom said raising extra money could potentially mean more than one student is awarded a scholarship in the future. The first scholarship is set to be awarded in June.

Pimentos will open at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and close at 8 p.m. All sales during that time are included in the fundraiser. For more information, visit the store at 210 W. Market St., or call 256-233-3795.