Kamloops Salvation Army Thrift Store, 2019.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK / Kamloops Salvation Army Thrift Store
September 08, 2020 - 4:29 PM
The Kamloops Salvation Army Thrift store has closed its doors permanently, becoming the latest in a long string of pandemic-related closures.
The thrift store initially closed in March along with other businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"During that time there were many measures that were put into place in terms of restrictions and requirements for us to reopen," Salvation Army Capt. Cory Fifield said. "A combination of factors related to that put us in a position where we weren’t able to come up with a plan that would allow us to reopen profitably."
In early August, the Salvation Army closed the Sutherland Thrift store in Kelowna, citing the pandemic as the primary cause. Currently, the thrift stores in Vernon and Penticton are open and accepting donations.
Whether more Salvation Army Thrift stores will be closing remains uncertain.
"Every ministry in each community has to determine whether or not they can continue to run those thrift stores, given the new reality that we’re living in," Fifield said. "That’s the way we had to assess things here, to determine our sustainability and make sure that we’re able to continue to serve the community."
Unfortunately, running the thrift store in Kamloops will not be feasible for the foreseeable future, he said.
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