An outreach ministry of Church of the Servant, Episcopal

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Please check out our next email,

following soon,

to learn WHY the

Bargain Box of Wilmington CLOSED.

The Bargain Box of Wilmington is permanently CLOSED

Most of you already know this but many in our area are still unaware.

We put up a closed sign in August and the last work day for the staff

was Aug 17.

We did not send out notices to all of our faithful customers because we were were asked not to say anything to the general public at that time. The store closure was a challenging and difficult.experience. Many of our customers of 22 years were coming into the store to shop only to be shocked that we were now closed. “What happened? Why? Where am I going to go now?” These were some of the sad responses we had from our long term customers. We were not at liberty to answer them completely.

Long-time customers are very shocked and upset

by the unannounced closure

Donors are sad and disappointed

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Until now, I was not authorized to speak of what happened. What was being said was that “Kathy retired and the store closed”. The full disclosure was not exactly in that order. The store closure was not what I would have chosen. I was prepared to retire in a few years, perhaps in three or four years. Circumstances beyond my control have now shortened that. The store closure was unexpected. I was unprepared and not quite ready for retirement. The future of the Bargain Box and its ministry in this community was also eliminated.

I am saddened and disappointed by the early demise of this greatly loved, very needed and highly utilized ministry. It will be missed by many faithful customers that were served throughout its almost twenty-three years of community service.

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The Bargain Box of Wilmington offered so many ways of assisting and respecting individuals of all levels and cultures. As new customers arrived, they were welcomed by friendly staff or volunteers. They were told of discount sales and the large areas throughout the store, which was often unexpected. “It is bigger than it looks from the outside” the staff would say and many were very surprised. Daily cleaning and maintenance were required to keep the store clean, organized, and easy to shop.

That was a part of our ministry

The store was cleaned daily and kept organized, easy to shop, and find what you needed quickly

Customers loved finding just the right size and looking great

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Wilmington and the surrounding area residents were happy to bring beautiful items to the store to donate. They all wanted to share and help others. We had designated areas to display different types of items, racks full of everyday clothing, and areas designated for specialty high-end

designer wear. All customers were made to feel welcome in all areas.

We had an efficient process when we sorted donations. Only the proper seasonal clothing was placed in the store for sale, making it easy to shop. Items not in salable condition were placed outside in a free bin on the side of the store to give away. The

“Free Bin” was open whenever someone was at the store. It was filled several times daily.

We had a shed where we stored our alternate seasonal items that would fill the store later during the appropriate seasons. Our generous donors would gift us abundantly. We were grateful and wanted to share with other ministries that needed inventory. We made arrangements to have items transported to other stores/nonprofits in other areas who could better utilize our gifts. We honored the one who gave us the gifts as well as the ones who received and benefited from the gifts.

That was part of our ministry

Rev. Joe Cooper periodically would transport excess clothing items to

The Opportunity Shop in Winsor, NC

Harriet Forbes delivers a car load of winter clothing to

Anson County Crisis Ministry

We were happy to share with

other helping organizations.

Regularly items were brought to the Blair Fraley Thrift store at Crossnore School & Children's Home by

Bettie Lettieri,

a DAR volunteer

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Medical items were delivered to Pine Valley Methodist Church by Rosemarie

There was a process and a system in place for operating the store which required training staff. An understanding of this unique system and helpful process was taught. We interviewed many applicants for these jobs over the years. We wanted naturally detail orientated persons. We have employed and trained over 40 individuals during our twenty-two years in business. These were very hardworking, dedicated staff members that mostly continued with us for many years. The team was dedicated to helping our community through this ministry and found it very meaningful.

We typically had six to eight part-time staff working with flexible hours. All were trained in the details of the job. An Employee Handbook was reviewed and given to each new hire for their future use. Assistant managers were trained fully in all of the ongoing requirements and could skillfully manage the daily routines. We had faithful and dedicated employees for many years. One assistant manager was employed for seventeen years and an outreach representative for ten years.

We paid employees through the years totaling $1,656,000 in addition to training, which helped our local economy. Some of these employees went on to develop their own businesses.

That was part of our ministry

We worked with many community service organizations. One aspect of this was providing documented supervised work hours for individuals ordered to community service by the courts. It proved to be a beneficial service to us. We only accepted those who had minor legal offenses, i.e., underage drinking and driving offences. We were able to specify who we would accept in this program. We received needed volunteer help. It was helpful for them and helpful for us. It worked out well.

Another aspect of community service was assisting other agencies that worked with individuals with disabilities. Occasionally, a small group would come to work together to help us. This group would stay a short time and with their supervisor’s guidance. Another individual came for years every week with her helper. Our longest working volunteer eventually became a paid staff person.

That was part of our ministry

Calandra Howard

Calandra joined our

Bargain Box of Wilmington

family in

August of 2000,

8 months after we opened.

She worked with us for 21 years.

Our closing has been difficult for her.

To meet growing competition as secondhand thrift stores became popular throughout the country, we advertised through fashion shows, luncheons and special events. We worked with the Newcomers Club, Scene III, N.C. Sorosis Club, and UNCW students.

Three senior classes from UNCW developed our new website, brochure, and ad cards that we handed out for 25% off discounts.

In an attempt to stay current, we developed our Internet sales division. We hired individuals to develop and manage these online sales. The competition was increasing, and we attempted to grow in these areas. We set up an online store on our web-site. We sold through other agencies such as eBay, Etsy and Vestiaire Collective. Competition and higher expenses began to limit our ability to distribute net proceeds to other nonprofits.

Until this time, we were able to give $104,000 to help others, such as the Good Shepherd Center.