Crowds celebrate Deseret Industries opening
With the sounds of the Springville High School Marching Band and the snip of a ribbon by Miss Hobble Creek 2016 Kte Keetch, Utah’s newest Deseret Industries store opened Oct. 27 in west Springville.
Hundreds lined up to be the first shoppers in the thrift store and enjoy opening festivities that included music, an appearance by Brigham Young University’s Cosmo the Cougar and free tote bags. An official dedication ceremony was held for the facility on the evening of Oct. 26.
Items were collected from other Deseret Industries thrift stores to stock the new Springville location for its opening. Semi trailers were also filled with merchandise and parked behind the store so shelves could be restocked as they were emptied.
Deseret Industries, which includes both thrift store operations and employment training, is a nonprofit program owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The new Springville DI store has been highly anticipated by residents of southern Utah County who have had to drive to Provo or American Fork to donate items or shop at the popular thrift store. The Springville location is the 21st Deseret Industries store in Utah and the 43rd overall. At nearly 50,000 square feet, the Springville DI is considered one of DI’s large stores and is similar in size to the American Fork DI, said Brooke Yates, marketing manager for Deseret Industries.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the Springville community,” Yates said. “We’re really hoping we can make a difference and just contribute to the goodness we see down here in this community.”
Convenience was one of the factors going into the decision to build the Springville DI, Yates said. The location is right next to a major shopping area that includes Walmart. “We wanted to build a really nice facility to help the community so they could drop off donations closer,” Yates said.
Located next to the Springville DI are other LDS services including a Bishop’s Storehouse, which provides food for those in need; a Family Services Office, which provides access to licensed social workers; and an LDS employment center.
“They’re all welfare-type facilities, and so we kind of call it a welfare complex,” Yates said.
Deseret Industries is well known for its retail side where people can shop and find great deals on quality used goods. However, the reason the thrift store portion exists is so Deseret Industries can offer career training programs that provide people with the job skills they need to find regular employment, Yates said.
“Our plan is to help them gain the skills that they need to get them in a career that they want,” she said.
The Springville DI plans to employ 130 to 140 people in its career training program. For more information, visit www.deseretindustries.org/careers.
Opening events continued Oct. 28 and 29 with more appearances by Cosmo and a free concert by musical artist James the Mormon.
The Oct. 26 dedication ceremony was presided over by Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the LDS Church. The ceremony included remarks by Stephanie Eliason, stake Relief Society president of the Spring Creek Stake in Springville, and Jack Bowers, bishop of the Spring Creek 18th Ward. Also speaking was President C. Arden Pope III, president of the Spring Creek Stake.
Bishop Waddell made his remarks before saying the dedicatory prayer.
The Springville Deseret Industries store will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The store will be closed Sundays.