Sunday, May 03, 2009
Rescue Mission to open upscale thrift shop
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
It's trendy to be thrifty, and the Roanoke Rescue Mission is taking thrift in a new direction.
In June, the Roanoke nonprofit will open a thrift store, art gallery and cafe, with a focus on upscale merchandise and local art and food. Renovations have begun inside a 15,000-square-foot space at the Civic Mall on Williamson Road in Roanoke, where this new store, 2nd helpings, will land.
The Rescue Mission already runs its own thrift store across the street from its headquarters on Fourth Street Southeast. The second thrift shop will sell a similar assortment of apparel, handbags, furniture, linens and books, but the selection will be better quality and higher-end. All donations will be sorted to determine which items will be sold at which store.
Thrift shop donations are steady for the Rescue Mission, and year-to-date sales through March are up 13.8 percent compared with last year, said Lee Clark, the nonprofit's development director.
The Rescue Mission is taking a particular interest in the presentation of its new store. The color scheme will be shades of orange and green, matching the shop's polka-dotted reusable green and orange shopping bags.
"We want this shop to stand out above other stores," said Jack Dickerson, a Rescue Mission board member and retired manager for Belk, who is helping to launch 2nd helpings.
There will be three entrances for the new shop, and doorways will connect the three businesses from the inside.
The cafe will serve breakfast and lunch, with some foods from local companies, such as H&C coffee and tea, Homestead Creamery ice cream and bagels from the Roanoke Bagel Co. This cafe will open one night a month to coincide with First Thursdays, a self-guided city gallery tour.
An art gallery will sell work, on consignment, by photographers, painters, jewelers and other artisans who reside within 100 miles of the Roanoke Valley. The gallery is modeled after the Rescue Mission's Art on a Mission store at Tanglewood Mall, which closed in January.
Proceeds from 2nd helpings will go toward the Rescue Mission's services and programs. This nonprofit's new and expanded medical clinic, set to open in July, is "the driving force" for 2nd helpings' debut, said Joy Sylvester-Johnson, CEO of the Rescue Mission. The clinic will be the main recipient of the thrift shop's funds, she said.
The Rescue Mission chose the Civic Mall site because of the proximity to its headquarters and the location's visibility. Also, 400 people work inside the building, a nice plus for drawing business, Sylvester-Johnson said.
The Rescue Mission is investing $25,000 in the new venture, and it expects to have 30 to 50 volunteers working at the shop. The nonprofit is leasing the space and getting some help with renovation work from the Civic Mall's owner. Sherwin-Williams also is painting the retail space for free.
The price range for the merchandise has not yet been determined, but "it will be a bargain," Sylvester-Johnson said.
An August fire sent a Roanoke NASCAR store hunting for a new retail space, and the shop finally has found a home.
Earlier this year, Caution Flag reopened its 15-year enterprise in a small, 800-square-foot space at 5720 Williamson Road.
This store formerly was located on Williamson Road, beside Weekend Sofa Outlet. In August, the sofa store caught fire, ruining Caution Flag's NASCAR collectibles and apparel.
Luckily, owner Dwight Hanna had stored some merchandise in a local warehouse. He's still trying to build up the inventory that he lost from the fire. That's partly the reason for his smaller storefront.
Caution Flag is open only on Wednesdays and Saturdays, largely because the retailer's Internet sales are growing, Hanna said.
Local Roots Cafe has a new owner, and it's adding to its food mix.
In March, Diane Elliot bought the restaurant on Grandin Road in Roanoke from her son, Rives Elliot, who opened Local Roots in 2007. The eatery specializes in foods produced locally.
Rives Elliot said he sold Local Roots to pursue a career in commercial media.
Diane Elliot, a local healing therapist, decided to take the reins, largely because she said she's interested in supporting local farmers.
She would not disclose the terms of the sale.
In addition to the ownership change, Local Roots will open for Sunday brunch starting May 10. It will serve a menu of locally produced breakfast fare, such as eggs, sausage and bacon.
"It seemed natural," said chef Joshua Smith. "We're trying to increase sales as much as possible."
News from the Storefront blog at blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/storefront/:
- T.G.I. Friday's is rolling out $5 meals in May.
- Get more details about Kroger's new fuel center in Salem.
- Find out the top 10 most-often clipped online coupons.
