Sister Carmen Thrift Store reopens
After shutting its doors for six months because of the pandemic, Lafayette’s Sister Carmen Thrift Store reopened in September with shopping available by appointment only.
The store’s new policy limits the number of people in the store at any given time to ensure the safety of shoppers and staff members.
Director Kathy Thomas said the thrift store has added these new measures to encourage people to physically distance while also being able to take the time they need to shop.
“We’ve really missed everyone these past six months, and it’s been nice to see our old regulars coming back, knowing they’re happy and healthy,” said Thomas in a release.
Precautions being taken in the store include requiring shoppers to wear masks, asking them to stay 6 feet apart, taking temperatures at the door and having people sign a Health Screening Certification that confirms they have not had any COVID- 19 symptoms within the past 72 hours. The staff also cleans and sanitizes areas between each shopping period.
“We’ve heard from several people that they’ve been really grateful for the appointment system, especially older folks who feel it is a little safer,” said Director of Development Kristen Bohanon in an email.
Bohanon said each person gets 45 minutes to shop. She said she hopes giving people the time they need will allow them to buy more rather than browsing and leaving quickly.
“Being closed meant that
the population didn’t have as much access to things they needed,” Bohanon said in the email. “But we, as an organization, also wanted to make sure we understood enough of what was happening with the pandemic before reopening so that we could do so safely.”
The Sister Carmen Community Center has been serving its community for more than 40 years and is serving more people than ever because of the pandemic, according to a release.
Financially supported by the thrift store, the organization took a big hit to its most sustainable funding stream when the store closed.
An estimate of $ 300,000 of income was lost this year because of the store’s temporary closure.
“The Sister Carmen Thrift Store is an integral part of the Lafayette community,” Bohanon wrote in an email. “Not only does it financially support the Community Center and its services, such as the food bank, but it acts as a community gathering place for many community members and provides low- cost, and sometimes no- cost, necessities for those in need.”
According to Bohanon, the store has many regulars who come in daily and know staff members and volunteers personally.
“More than ever, we need the community’s help to support the store by shopping so that even with limited hours and people in the store, we can at least cover our costs and continue to support the essential services of the SCCC,” Bohanon said.