Salvation Army’s Lynnwood store to close Saturday

Herald staff

LYNNWOOD — The largest Salvation Army thrift store in the Puget Sound area will close Saturday to make way for a new Walgreen’s drugstore.

The Salvation Army is looking for a new store site but hasn’t found a suitable one, said DiAne Lobbia, the organization’s Northwest regional director of retail.

"It’s difficult because we are totally nonprofit," she said. "We need to find something as affordable as possible."

The 2,200-square-foot store at 16830 Highway 99 in Lynnwood opened in the early ’90s, she said.

It’s actually home to two separate Salvation Army businesses, a thrift store and a boutique that sells collectibles.

"We hate to lose the location," Lobbia said. "We want to be in Lynnwood."

The closure will leave the organization with 10 Puget Sound area stores. The money they generate goes to support a 100-bed drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Seattle.