Thrift store looks for new location
Published 9:30 pm Friday, December 27, 2013
![The Salvation Army thrift store on West Washington Street served as Christmas toy storage after closing up shop earlier this year. The organization hopes to reopen the store at another location.](https://www.suffolknewsherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2013/12/IMG_5440.jpg)
The Salvation Army thrift store on West Washington Street served as Christmas toy storage after closing up shop earlier this year. The organization hopes to reopen the store at another location.
The Salvation Army is looking for a new location to reopen its thrift store and hopes to sell the former location on West Washington Street, its leader said this month.
In late July, the store changed its hours to Saturdays only as a task force from the nonprofit organization’s board discussed how the store fits into the organization’s mission, Capt. Jim Shiels said.
The complete closure of the store followed soon after. Shiels said recently the organization is looking to sell the store, which is located on the same block where Monument Construction is renovating other historic buildings into 68 loft apartments with retail spaces on the ground floor.
“We want to support what’s happening there historically,” Shiels said. “It’s not a good place for a thrift store.”
The old thrift store is the only building on the block without a second floor, and it is separated from the Monument project by another building, which most recently held the Red Thread Studio and is also up for sale.
Shiels said the organization will look for a new location in the spring. He hopes it will have an abundance of parking — something sorely lacking at the West Washington Street location — and be “in an area where we can find the right kind of clientele,” both people who will shop there and people who will donate good used items for sale.
He said most Salvation Army communities have a thrift store.