Salvation Army’s last shop in county to close

LYNNWOOD — The Salvation Army is closing its Lynnwood thrift shop at the end of the month, after five years in business at the location.

Despite increasing retail sales, the store has not made money at least since 2003, said Renay Panoncialman, a business administrator for the Christian charity.

The thrift store at 16530 Highway 99 in Lynn­wood was the last remaining Salvation Army store from Mount Vernon to Seattle.

A Salvation Army store in Everett was shuttered in late 2006. A Marysville thrift store closed prior to that.

Panoncialman said the Salvation Army will keep a presence in the community with its donation sites in Snohomish County.

The Lynnwood drop-off trailer gets more donations than any other site, she said.

“We need to come back,” Panoncialman said. “It’s been a very supportive area and very good to the Army.”

Most of the nine employees who work at the thrift shop will be reassigned to a store in Seattle or to the Salvation Army’s Everett Corps, which provides food and social services for the needy, Panoncialman said.

In the meantime, all items for sale are 50 percent off and even deeper discounts are expected to be offered before closing day.

There are eight Salvation Army thrift stores in the region stretching from Mount Vernon to Puyallup.

Proceeds from the stores help pay for free Salvation Army-run residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers.

While the Lynnwood store wasn’t profitable, “sales are actually very good,” Panoncialman said. And the cost to run the 30,000-square-foot store for too long simply exceeded revenues.

“It’s sad to see it happen, and I’m hoping maybe they can find some reasonable property and get back into this area,” said Sue McGarr, manager of the Lynnwood thrift store.

She said some longtime bargain hunters are disappointed that they’re losing their favorite store.

With the economy sliding, some thrift stores in the area are reporting an increase in sales.

Betsy McFeely with Goodwill Industries in Seattle said sales at 16 Seattle-area Goodwill thrift stores were up 6.2 percent in the first six months of 2008.

“The tough economy is having an impact on store sales, but also the eco-friendly trend is helping Goodwill,” she said.

Margaret Lund, a volunteer with the Assistance League of Everett, said sales at the nonprofit group’s thrift store at 5107 Evergreen Way have been climbing because people are looking for more bargains.

“I see that people are really turning to alternative means of shopping,” she said. “And we’re sorry that the situation is as it is, but we’re happy to provide these services to the community.”

Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.