With lights on and merchandise well organized, the Iola Senior Citizens Inc. Thrift Store will have a soft opening Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to show off its new building at 223 N. State, Dimity Lowell told Iola Kiwanians on Tuesday.
Lowell, who handles public relations for the Senior Citizens Inc. board and has been much involved in the addition of the 30 feet by 40 feet structure, said the project was made necessary by the popularity of the thrift store and the abundance of donations that had been received through the years. Iola Senior Citizens has served the Iola area since 1979, and the practice was to provide the store as a service for those needing low-priced clothing and household items, and to give those thinning out their wardrobes and personal belongings a place to take them and give them new life.
“We honestly get so many clothes we could fill four buildings,” Lowell said. As a result, the group has formed relationships with other helpful groups, such as the Salvation Army, Humanity House, homeless shelters in metropolitan areas and other thrift stores to take overflow that doesn’t sell here after a designated time. “We want to keep things out of the landfill,” she said.
The new building has been built with Senior Citizens Inc. revenues, local donations and grant funds, she said. The organization had typically donated $10,000 to $20,000 per year from sale proceeds to other county organizations to help their causes, and plans are to resume the donations after the building project is finished and paid for.
The Iola Kiwanis Club meets weekly, noon Tuesdays, at Allen Community College and welcomes interest in membership.
Email [email protected] for more information.
