Salvation Army
relocates family store to Main Street
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Customers and employees alike are pleased with the amenities found at the new Salvation Army Family Store in Presque Isle.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
SHARON MORNEAULT, manager of the Salvation Army Family Store in Presque Isle, hangs shirts that were recently donated on a display rack. Previously located on State Street, the family store has moved to 377 Main St., formerly Burrelle’s. The new store boasts more than twice the space as its former site and unlimited parking.
Located at 377 Main St., formerly Burrelle’s, the store features more than twice the space as its former State Street location, and unlimited parking.
“Space and parking were our two biggest issues,” said Maj. Steven Pearl of the Houlton-based Salvation Army. “When my wife and I arrived in Aroostook County almost five years ago, we looked at the store up in Presque Isle and made some changes to it which increased sales and helped the Corps increase the appropriation from the store, but the biggest complaint that we had was ‘no parking.’
“So many people would say, ‘I’d stop more often, but every time I go by there’s no parking,’” he said. “We’ve been looking [for a new location] for a couple of years to find a place that’s larger and will provide us with a lot more parking which the new location does. It gives us great visibility, it’s more than twice the size of the previous store, and there’s plenty of parking in front and municipal parking in the back. We have a front and a back entrance, and it’s a great location.”
The State Street facility was slightly more than 4,000 square feet, while the new store, which the Salvation Army is leasing, is about 10,000 square feet.
“It’s not all showroom,” said Pearl. “One of the problems we had at the old store was that the employees didn’t have much space for storage or even to work in to sort the clothes; they had a little space in the back of the store which was very crowded and when we got a lot of donations, they got in the way and it was just a hard work environment.
“Now we’ve got a nice back area with plenty of room, plenty of room for storage, and plenty of room for as many donations as we can get,” he said. “We even have room for furniture; we’re encouraging donations of furniture. While we don’t have the capability to pick up those donations ourselves, we do have someone who said they would volunteer and go pick up the furniture for us. We’re hoping the addition of furniture will help expand our sales and our visibility also.”
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
Previously known as the Salvation Army Thrift Store, Pearl said that corporate headquarters has encouraged the name change over the last couple of years to make it “a little more inviting.”
“The name ‘thrift store’ for some has a negative connotation,” he said, “so we’ve changed it to ‘family store.’ We hope that will help increase sales, as well.”
In addition to increased space and parking, the Salvation Army Family Store features better lighting and floors, more racks, and for the first time, shopping carts.
“With the shopping carts, people can really stock up, and they don’t have to carry things around,” said Pearl. “I think we’ve moved up a notch on the scale of shopping enjoyment and comfort. The lighting is a lot better in this store; the employees love it because they can really see the product now when they’re sorting through it, and the flooring is better and easier to clean.
“It’s just an all-around better location,” he said, noting that the store employs five people and relies on several volunteers.
Store manager Sharon Morneault, of Westfield, said she loves the new building.
“[The difference between the two stores] is like night and day. In the old place, it was very quaint, but we had absolutely no storage and now we have all kinds of storage, a larger workspace, and for customers a larger floor space,” she said. “We also have two dressing rooms whereas before we only had one.
“Not only are more donations coming in because the parking is better, but we’re seeing more customers on a daily basis,” said Morneault. “Since we opened Feb. 1 at our new location, our numbers have gone up. We’ve been having anywhere from 65-100 people and before if we had 60 that was a busy day. Even days when we’ve had snowstorms we’ve been busy. With the limited parking before — during a snowstorm — we were lucky if we got 20 people. In our new location, even on a snow day, we’re seeing up to 50 people. It’s slower, but we’re still busier.”
Morneault said the majority of customers enter the store from the back entrance because of the municipal parking; however, the rear entrance is not handicapped accessible.
“There are stairs that you have to climb, but the front entrance is handicapped accessible,” she said, noting that all donations are encouraged to be dropped off at the back entrance. “We’re trying to be respectful of our neighbors who don’t want to see large piles of donations in front of the store on a Sunday.”
Pearl encourages people to stop by and check out the new facility.
“[By shopping here] you’re getting some real nice product at a good, low price and you’re helping your neighbors at the same time,” he said. “After paying the rent, employees, and other bills, the proceeds come to the southern Aroostook area to help the Salvation Army in its mission.”
The Salvation Army Family Store is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For more information, call 764-1816.
