RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The Randolph Thrift Shop often serves as a convenient outlet for people seeking to buy or sell their used goods. Recently at the store, inside Building 662, a line formed at the checkout counter while dozens of people wandered throughout the premises.
"People can unload things they no longer need or can find that 'best bargain' they are looking for here," Randolph Thrift Shop manager Barbara Bryant said.
Consignment items - items sold through the thrift store by people hoping for a profit - are accepted from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Shoppers wishing to peruse the store inventory can do so from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Also, the store is open one Saturday per month and is next set for June 7, with the same hours as weekdays.
Setup at a new location will take place this fall as the store's current building location is slated to be demolished. A mission-essential building will be erected on the current site, but Enlisted Wives Club chairman Mary Burns said the transition will not affect how the business operates.
"For now, we've been told that the move will happen in October and we will then be located at Building 737, across from the fire department and near the east flight line," Ms. Burns said. "We have a lot of work to do to prepare the new building, but we should be ready when it comes time to transition."
The Enlisted Wives Club and Officers' Spouses Club use money raised by the store to award annual scholarships to graduating high school seniors. Revenues posted by the Randolph Thrift Store in 2002-03 topped $30,000 but figures from 2006-07 show that intake to have doubled, surpassing the $60,000 mark.
"We feel we are a part of the Randolph community and the mission here," Ms. Bryant said. "I've been working with thrift stores over 25 years and our staff here ranges from people in their 20s to their 90s. We feel our presence is important here. It's a labor of love."
Randolph Thrift Shop
Building 662
Regular hours
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
(Also open one Saturday per month)
Next Saturday open: June 7
Consignment items accepted
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - 9 a.m. to noon