Turning Point’s thrift store moving to ‘bigger’ and ‘better’ location
Second Hand Rose has been in Mount Clemens for decades
Turning Point’s thrift store, Second Hand Rose, is moving from Mount Clemens to a bigger, more visible location in Clinton Township.
The shop will relocate in April from its current leased space on Main Street in Mount Clemens, across from the post office, to a building on Gratiot Avenue south of Metropolitan Parkway that has previously held thrift stores operated by other agencies. The shop will more than double in size, from 8,000-square-feet to 19,000-square-feet.
“It’s a lot bigger, and we’re really excited about it,” said Turning Point CEO Sharman Davenport. “It’s a better location and will give us greater visibility.”
Mount Clemens-based Turning Point operates a shelter and conducts a myriad of services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking, and their families, including providing or subsidizing housing.
The bigger operation located on a busy thoroughfare near other second-hand stores not only should attract more revenue and donations of items for Turning Point but also will provide it with space to accept and store furniture and appliances that get donated and are used to help furnish the approximately 40 apartments and houses it rents for survivors and their families, Davenport said. The current building doesn’t have enough space to keep couches, easy chairs and similar items.
“We need more space for the store and for storage space,” she said. “This allows us to bring it all together.”
The organization sometimes has to rent space to keep its furniture but with the new building should not have to, she said.
Davenport said Second Hand Rose pays for itself and profits are channeled back into the organization, which also gets funding from government grants, direct donations and fundraising events.
“We can’t totally rely on government grants to do what we do,” she said. “We wouldn’t be able to do the things we do without donations we get from the community.”
She is confident larger selling space will be filled by donations of clothes, furniture, dishes, knickknacks and a host of other things.
“I think we’ll get enough support to fill it so we can provide survivors everything they need,” she said.
With the expected uptick in business, the nonprofit agency is hiring people to work at the store, Davenport said. Details can be found on its web site, turningpointmacomb. org/.
Meanwhile, workers have been putting the finishing touches on the interior of the new facility, which will be leased. New flooring was installed, the walls were painted and new lighting, provided by DTE at a discounted rate, was put up.
The anticipation is growing among the staff as the grand opening approaches, Davenport said.
“People are really getting excited about it,” she said. “It has so much potential for us, for survivors and for the community.”
Mount Clemens-based Turning Point operates a shelter and conducts a myriad of services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking, and their families, including providing or subsidizing housing.