Thrift store makes short move

The search for a new home for the Moorhead Thrift Shop didn't go very far.

It didn't have to.

The volunteers who run the thrift shop endured weeks of uncertainty after the store lost its lease last month.

But now the shop has a new home at 501 Main Ave., just around the corner from its old location, inside the same building where it has resided for 27 years.

"I think it's going to be all right when we get everything in place," said Dorothy Kjelland, president of the store's board of directors.

The store, which donates all of its profits to charity, is run by a group of 28 women, ranging in age from 55 to 100 years old. They had to leave their location at 101 5th St. S. because it's becoming part of a space for Sportland, a Moorhead sporting goods store made homeless by the Main Avenue bridge project.

The office space, once the Moorhead Insurance Agency, had been empty for several months, and seemed like a good fit for the shop, said landlord Jerry McDonald of Fargo, who was helping with the move.

At about 1,400 square feet, their new home is a little bit smaller than the old space. It's also a bit more expensive, Kjelland said.

So that means the women are going to have to clean house -- throwing out popcorn poppers with missing pieces or old plastic silverware -- and perhaps raise prices a bit.

For example, prices for men's shirts and pants, which used to sell for $2 each, might have to be raised to $3, Kjelland said, if the store is going to make ends meet.

All the merchandise, from crocheted pillows to women's shoes, was carted down the block to the new location Monday, with the help of some younger muscles.

Volunteers from Access Inc. and Churches United for the Homeless -- two organizations that have received money from the thrift shop -- spent the afternoon carting shelves and racks across the back parking lot.

"They said, 'Thanks for helping,' and it's like, 'Oh my gosh, you do so much for us,' " said Sharon Staton, executive director of Access, which helps people with disabilities.

The new location should be entirely set up by this weekend, but the store will stay open for customers or donations of clothing or household items throughout the moving period, Kjelland said.

"We probably never will close, because we keep getting customers," she said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Joy Anderson at (701) 241-5556