RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The Randolph Thrift Shop, which offers a multitude of gently used items from clothing, linens and jewelry to household wares and yard tools, opened its doors last month in Building 737 after more than a decade in a structure behind 19th Air Force.
Beginning Monday, the thrift shop's new home at J Street East and Fourth Street East near the fire station will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the first Saturday of each month for sales, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. those same days for consignments.
"It's a great place," said Mary Burns, Enlisted Wives Club first vice president and thrift shop chairman. "We want people to see how well we're doing in our new facility."
The Enlisted Wives' Club and the Officers' Spouses' Club operate the thrift shop, which turned 60 years old last year. The shop functions with three paid contractors and the assistance of volunteers from those two organizations.
Funds raised through thrift shop sales go to charities and scholarships for military family members. The shop has donated more than $1 million in its history.
Most of the items offered at the thrift shop are consignments, Ms. Burns said. Consignors can bring up to 12 items each day, but only three like items. They receive 75 percent of the purchase price if the item is sold within one month. After that it becomes the property of the thrift shop.
However, some of the items are donated, she added, with an estimated profit of between $1,000 and $1,500 each month.
Because it only accepts the very best items for sale, the thrift shop is more like a boutique, Ms. Burns said.
"We've raised our minimum price to $3 because of the better quality of the merchandise," she said.
The thrift shop also has a list of items it will not accept - such as men's clothing.
At about 1,500 square feet, the new building isn't as large as the last structure, but it offers more amenities.
"It's great," Ms. Burns said. "It's smaller, but it's bright and well-organized."
She said business is starting to pick up after the change of location.
"We finally have people knowing where we are," Ms. Burns said. "We will do just as well as we did before, but it was like starting over."
For more information on consignments or the thrift shop, call 658-5990 during business hours.