The Salvation Army Thrift Store in Columbia is more than just a place to find inexpensive items. It also means so much more to a lot of people who are in need.
The Thrift Store recently underwent renovations and is located at 226 Second St. in Columbia. It is an important part of the Salvation’s Army mission, according to Latashia Owens, who oversees the Hattiesburg and Columbia thrift stores.
“What a lot of people don’t know is that the Salvation Army Thrift Store is the only source of income for the Salvation Army,” she said. “This is it. There are some donations, which are not a guarantee. There are some grants, which again, cannot be counted on. The Thrift Store is the one source of income.”
Owens said the Thrift Store falls in line with the Salvation Army’s mission.
“The mission of the Salvation Army is to help those that need us the most without discrimination,” she said. “We do give clothes based on assessment. We have food at this location that we give. However, there are situations where the person may not need resources, but may need funding, money to pay light bills or six months of rent. Those are different services that we provide.”
The Salvation Army is known for its response to emergency situations around the country, Owens said.
“What we do is with whatever disaster, we give away what we have,” she said. “The Salvation Army is responsible for food, so we have canteen trucks that go out to different locations. They also send them to the thrift stores. With a flood, we’ve got a lot of people coming in needing clothes and different things because they lost everything.”
Owens said the interagency response to natural disasters always includes the Salvation Army.
“We have a lot of agencies that we work with that send those in need to us with so many different needs,” she said. “With all the services that we offer, this is the only source of income for funding to pay the staff to do the work.”
With a small town, running a thrift store can be important, Owens said. The thrift store staff is crucial to the store’s success.
“We have an overflow,” she said. “The biggest thing about thrifting – especially in a small town like Columbia – is your reputation in everything. The staff that I have here is very friendly. People are greeted when they walk in the door and are greeted at the back of the store when they are working. They help customers. We have that Southern hospitality. Everybody likes to feel welcome above everything else.”
Customers can find real bargains at the Thrift Store whether they are looking for clothes, furniture or movies.
“Our prices are very reasonable,” Owens said. “We work hard to keep it organized, so it can be easy to shop. We also have sales all the time. The regular customers that come in already know that on Wednesday the clothes are 50 percent off. We have a lot of senior citizens really appreciate that and can take advantage of it. They are on a fixed income and they are big supporters of the thrift store. It means a lot.”
The local shoppers also play a big role in the Thrift Store.
“We appreciate everyone that walks in the door because we realize that without them, we can’t have a Thrift Store,” Owens said. “We have to have customers coming in and we have to make sure to communicate our appreciation of them, walk with them, help them shop and anything we can do to accommodate them.”
One of the big reasons customers shop at The Thrift Store is they see an opportunity to take something older and turn it into a do-it-yourself masterpiece.
“Refurbishing is big. With trends changing, we see different things,” Owens said. “People will come looking for wooden furniture so they can refinish it and re-upholster it. We get that a lot. After they have redone, they’ll come back by and show us. Oh, my goodness, it is amazing. They see that diamond in the rough; we don’t.”
The Salvation Army Thrift Store can be reached by phone at (601) 736-7861. The store hours are 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Wednesday, from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Friday.
Pictured Above: Mary Magee, left, and Jannette Ezell make up the Columbia team. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
