Kelly Ellis (right), with daughter Alyssa Olson, plans to open River's Mouth Resale, a thrift store in the former Island Salon storefront on Lynch Street. Olson will manage the shop.
The owner of River's Mouth Trading Co. on Case Avenue is opening a thrift store at 106 Lynch St., in the spot vacated by Island Salon, next to Groundswell.
Called River's Mouth Resale, owner Kelly Ellis said she'd been tossing the idea around for a while.
A recent Facebook post about the need for another thrift store in town "inspired me to go ahead and go for it."
Between rising freight prices and supply chain issues, "it feels like taking things out of the waste stream and offering them for resale would be a help," she said last Wednesday.
Ellis said she will start accepting donations Wednesday. Opening day will be Monday, April 4.
The hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. Her daughter, Alyssa Olson, will manage the store.
Ellis plans to take down a dividing riser from when the space was a salon to open up the floor plan. The entire space will be dedicated toward secondhand goods.
She said she's not putting any limitations on types of donations, just that the items should be clean and in fairly good condition.
"We've all got stuff," she said, "but we don't want to throw (it) away and we don't want to deal with the hassle of 'buy-sell-trading' it. And not everyone is on (the Facebook group) Buy Sell Trade. This will be another avenue."
People seem excited, she said.
"There's been a lot of, 'Oh, I have stuff for you to sell,'" Ellis said.
Ellis said she's lived in Wrangell for 12 years, and with husband Pat Ellis also owns Wrangell Boatshop, a boat repair company.
Ellis said half the profits from the thrift store will go toward local fundraising efforts, charities and kids athletics.
"When people donate, people can feel like they are donating something to the community," Ellis said.
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