Construction has begun on a new $350,000 expansion project at Save and Serve Thrift Shop in Millersburg.
Store managers Eric Raber and Owen Yoder met recently with Save and Serve project board member Al Mast and Diana Miller to review the plans before construction got underway. Miller is the Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Thrift Shop development coordinator for MCC thrift shops.
Raber said the expansion would be done to meet specific internal and external needs at the store. A 3,700-square-foot expansion will be added to the south end of the current retail showroom.
This addition will enable us to completely rearrange the retail space, Yoder said. We will have more room to display furniture, household items and clothing, and more room between displays.
A separate 600-square-foot section will be added to the back of the building.
We need to expand the lunchroom for our many volunteers, Yoder said. This will allow more people to eat together.
In addition, a small conference room and hallway with coatracks will complete the new space for staff and volunteers.
Besides the building, parking will also be expanded 11,500 square feet to the south. A net gain of 25 spaces will be added, Mast said.
We are very excited about having these new areas for our customers, volunteers and staff members, Raber said. We are only able to do this because of the generosity of the community through the donation of material goods and volunteer time.
Miller advises local thrift stores on all aspects of operations, including expansions. She said there are 58 MCC thrift stores in the U.S., and that her main function is to be a resource for the locally run stores.
Participating in the construction planning allows us to anticipate a dip in giving, Miller said. During the last fiscal year, Save and Serve sent $450,000 to MCC, the most in the stores 38 years of existence.
The board has committed a tithe to MCC during the construction, Raber said. Miller said that is what MCC recommends during construction projects.
This store has done very well in supporting MCC in past changes, Miller said. Experience shows that such projects pay off in the long run.
Miller said donations from local stores like Save and Serve are split 25 percent for U.S. needs and 75 percent for global projects.
We encourage local thrift shops to invest in their local communities, Miller said.
Raber said Save and Serves commitment to the local community is through helping with Share-a-Christmas, providing community service work opportunities, and work readiness programs through agencies like Job and Family Services and the Holmes County Training Center.
The main reason Save and Serve is able to contribute so well to MCC, Raber said, is because of our many volunteers who come from around the county.
We average 35 volunteers per day or more than 200 per week, Raber said.
And more volunteers are welcome to join us, Yoder chimed in.
Ivan Weaver Construction of Fredericksburg is the contractor. Construction should be completed by next spring, according to Raber.
Last year Save and Serve added an overhang and expanded the donation drop-off area at the front of the store.
Save and Serve is a place local people can help in supporting missions around the world, Yoder said.
