Thrift Store Growth Surprises Founder
Thank you to The Augusta Press and Charmain Brackett for visiting the store to cover our Anniversary Sale. This article first appeared on their website.
Philomena Mooney gave the idea an initial six months.
“If it didn’t work, it could go back to being a once-a-month yard sale,” said Mooney of the Catholic Social Services Thrift Store. That was more than 30 years ago.
The store is celebrating its first anniversary in its newest location, 3229 Wrightsboro Rd. with half-price deals through Saturday.
Before the thrift store, a monthly yard sale was held behind St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church. It raised money for the programs of the Catholic Social Services Charity. The church had been given a small house, and that’s the building Mooney first used. It was open four days a week for four hours at a time.
Six months into the operation, there was no slowing down, and it hasn’t wavered since, she said. She had no idea it could grow to what it has become, she said.
Over the years, the thrift store has been in different locations including two decades on Broad Street. The last space was about 13,000 square feet, but only 9,000 of it was usable, she said.
The Wrightsboro Road location, which has held several businesses including a home supply store, children’s clothing store and newspaper distribution center, was vacant for a few years before the thrift store moved in.
Mooney said the timing of the move into the 17,000-square-foot space couldn’t have been better.
The old location closed in March 2020, and there was time to get the store ready before things started to open back in July 2020.
And when they did open, donations poured in, Mooney said.
“People were cleaning out their attics and garages,” she said.
For a while, the thrift store had more dining room suites as families cleared their formal dining rooms to create home offices. And Mooney said it wasn’t just the dining room table and chairs that were donated.
“They got rid of all the china and all the glassware. They literally moved everything out of the dining room,” she said.
The thrift shop sells everything from clothing to furniture to housewares.
Donations are accepted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The thrift store is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
All donations are sorted; sometimes merchandise is held back for special events. Golf merchandise comes out in April. Other special events include a Vera Bradley sale, and Christmas related items are available around Thanksgiving. She’s also considering a vintage toy event and a fabric sale.
Mooney said she’s worked at the thrift store all these years because she loves it. She likes the people she works with, and she knows that she’s helping someone in the area.
All of the money raised though the store stays in the local area, she said.
The Catholic Social Services organization is located at 811 12th St. It provides emergency relief services such as food, financial, transportation and medical services.