St. Martin’s Thrift Store open house is July 2

    MILLINOCKET — St. Martin’s Thrift Store will help kick-off the July 4 holiday weekend celebrations in the Katahdin area by holding an open house on Saturday, July 2, at its 112 Maine Ave. location in Millinocket. Traditionally the store only is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
    Special sales will be featured on both floors of the non-profit thrift store that Saturday and a complement of volunteers will be on hand to assist customers. Music and popcorn will add to the festive atmosphere. There will be face painting for little ones and St. Martin’s Justice and Charity Commission will be offering hot dogs for sale on site.
    The thrift store volunteers plan to get into the holiday spirit completely by entering a float in Millinocket’s July 4 parade and then staffing a table at the Katahdin Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored activities in Veterans’ Park on lower Penobscot Ave. on the afternoon of July 4.
    The thrift store has played an increasing role in the lives of Katahdin Region people since the closing of the East Millinocket paper mill and the uncertainty surrounding any sale, a situation that bumped the region’s unemployment rates into the 14 percent range. By contrast, Maine’s unemployment rate stands at 7.7 percent.