New 6,000-square-foot thrift store opening in Pierce County. Here’s where
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- Skoolie Foundation plans to open 6,000 ft thrift store in Puyallup by April 1.
- Proceeds fund programs; unsold items donated to those transitioning out of homelessness.
- Location houses thrift, furniture showroom, food bank and family resource center.
Next month a new 6,000-square-foot thrift store is expected to open in Puyallup, run by the Skoolie Foundation, whose mission is to help folks transition out of homelessness.
Founder and board chair Brandon Simmons gave The News Tribune a tour of the space Monday. Tucked in an alley behind the Safeway and McLendons Hardware at 5520 112th St. E. are four buildings that will become a new thrift store, donated furniture showroom, food bank and family resource center. The nonprofit will also use one of the buildings to convert school buses (skoolies) into mobile homes and hygiene facilities.
The pivot has come fast. Recently, Simmons said, they were told they would have to move from their current thrift store location down the street at 11305 Waller Road E. within 90 days, because the building had been sold. That location also is home to the foundation’s tiny-home village and safe-parking lot, which will need to move elsewhere, Simmons said.
He hopes to open the new Skoolie Thrift store by April 1. There people can shop for clothes, furniture, books, knick-knacks, medical supplies and other household goods. All the proceeds support the foundation’s many programs, Simmons said. Anything that isn’t sold in the first week or two is donated to people transitioning out of homelessness, he said.
On Thursdays all men’s clothing is 25% off. On Fridays kids clothing and toys are 25% off. On Saturdays women’s clothing will be 25% off, and every Sunday all clothing is 25% off, Simmons said. Residents can drop off donations at the new Puyallup location starting March 12, he said.
The store will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional hours in the future, Simmons said. A 20,000-square-foot Skoolie Thrift in Olympia opened in January (415 Olympia Ave. NE).
Simmons said someone is more likely to become homeless again if they don’t have furniture in their home. The goal is to bring the community together to find solutions and fill the gaps that exist in Pierce County, he said.
“Our goal was never to redo services that were out there. Our goal was to figure out, from sleeping in a tent to sleeping in a bed, what transactional pieces had to occur,” Simmons said.
