PORT RICHEY — People driving down Congress Street near Ridge Road have been curious about the huge sign for some time: Community Thrift Store. But the building and the parking lot were always empty.
That changed Feb. 7 when the store, a branch of a chain that operates in Tampa and the Midwest, opened its doors at 9 a.m. Within minutes, a crowd of both seniors and young adults was browsing the aisles for bargains on clothing, household items, jewelry, electronics and more.
Wednesday is senior discount day, with 30% off clothing and 50% off everything else, and by 9:30 a.m. one gentleman had already snagged a fully operational flat screen TV for $50.
What’s not to like?
Community Thrift Store is a private business, not a nonprofit, general manager Kymberly McMaken told the Suncoast News. It collects donated items, prepares them for sale and sells them in roomy, well-lit, well-arranged stores that look more like a Marshall’s/Home Stores than a jumble of random stuff (not that those aren’t fun to poke through when you’re in the mood). The store is not affiliated with but does support Amvets, and veterans receive discounts of at least 25% every day. Other discounts can be deep but are scattered, such as teachers and first responders getting special deals on Tuesdays. Items sport color-coded tags. As they don’t sell, the tags change color and offer a steeper discount each week, and items that are still on the shelf after five weeks are sold at 75% off on Sundays. This means the store inventory is constantly turning over while the public is getting a deal.
One person with a cartload of deals was Jermaine Van Heymimneen, who came up from Holiday to shop for clothing for his brothers and mom.
“It’s nice,” he said of the store. “So far I like it. So far I’ve just got clothing; I haven’t even looked at the electronics. Already I like what I see, so I’ll be coming back.”
Several of the morning shoppers said they are experienced thrifters who like to scour local stores for bargains, and Community Thrift Store was getting high marks for its cleanliness, ease of shopping, inventory and prices.
“I got three pairs of shorts for $10,” said one man. “You find a lot of good clothes,” said a woman who said her name was Pam. “All sorts of stuff: dog beds, decorations, you name it.”
McMaken said the store is employing 21 people, all of them local, and may be adding more to its staff depending on how things go. One of the new hires, Karen Rodriguez, said she was excited about working in the store. Rodriguez just moved to New Port Richey, this is her first job in the area and she already liked it, she said. “I’ll be doing a little of everything: working the cash register, customer service, in the back bringing out merchandise.”
Community Thrift Store is located at 6520 Ridge Road, off Congress Street. It is open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Its website and social media pages should be operational soon.
