Feb. 24—Thrift World hosted its grand opening on Friday, welcoming hundreds of community members to shop for furniture, vintage clothing, shoes and more.
Steve Stark, owner of the new secondhand shop in St. Joseph, located at 137 S. Belt Highway, said it was no surprise to see so many people come out to the first day of opening, as the store offers something many others don't.
"We have a very unique discount system that I think everybody will like," he said. "From the original price, things go to half off, to 99 cents, to 48 cents in a fairly rapid succession."
Stark said he was surprised to find that the vintage items were among the most popular that people came in to shop for.
"We've got our vintage section over there in the corner, and so many people have been crowding that area and finding things they like," he said. "I'm definitely surprised at how busy that area has been. People love their vintage items."
Stark credits the Chamber of Commerce and its support for helping bring an affordable business to the community of St. Joseph.
"St. Joseph is a developing area and a great place to start a business, as many know," he said. "We thought that the market could support another store, and we're just so thankful that the town has been so receptive."
Employees at Thrift World hope to see the community come out and shop at the store, which will continue to offer unique items.
"There's over 100 cars out there right now (Friday morning) so it looks like we're going to have a good kick-off," Stark said. "This was a very exciting build-up, and I can't express how thankful I am for the community and for our employees and team members who helped put this together. We hope to see people continue to come out and find things you won't find anywhere else."
Jenna Wilson can be reached at jenna.wilson@newspressnow.com.