The Presbyterian Home for Children opened the new Thrift Store on Oct. 13 in a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony hosted by the Greater Talladega and Lincoln Area Chamber of Commerce.
After more than 30 years in its current location on the Home’s campus, the new thrift store moved to a 20,000-square-foot storefront in the Northgate Shopping Center by Marvin’s that gives much more operating space than the previous store that was only 3,400 square feet. Proceeds at the Thrift Store fund the Home’s mission of caring for at-risk and homeless children and families.
“Our new Thrift Store has more than five times the floor space of our previous facility, which allows us to expand our merchandise selection and bargains,” said Ashley Burkhalter, Thrift Store Manager. “You’ll be able to shop on a Monday and come back Wednesday and feel like there are hundreds of items you didn’t see previously. We will be putting out new merchandise every day donated to the Home from the Talladega community, the greater Birmingham area, and from regional drop-offs across the State. The Home regularly receives many fascinating and unique items from donor estates and downsizing.”
At the new location, the PHFC Thrift Store now offers a wider selection of gently loved items like upholstered furniture, bedding, and mattresses that the current location didn’t have floor space to display properly.
“Being in a shopping center with other stores and a paved, lighted parking lot will greatly improve our ability to serve the customer,” said Bud Kitchin, Assistant to the President/Director of Operations for the Home. “Our customers will find an improved Donation Dropoff Center in the back and a new and improved U-Haul Service Center with a new, dedicated service desk.”
The new location will allow the PHFC Thrift Store to offer a much wider selection of gently loved items like upholstered furniture, bedding, and mattresses, which the current location doesn’t have the floor space to display properly. The Northgate location will also feature an improved Donation Dropoff Center as well.
Bud Kitchin is especially qualified to oversee the Home’s significant expansion and improvement in its retail operations. Bud has 25 years of experience in his family’s department store business. “Incredible Kitchin’s” was a leading off-price retail operation in Alabama and Mississippi that in 1994 saw sales of over $15 million with more than 250 employees. He chaired a 14-member Board of Directors for “Incredible Kitchin’s” and served as its President and Chairman for nine years. Kitchin’s, Inc. had an active affiliation with Belk, Inc., which provided merchandising and professional support services.
“I’m very thankful to bring both my deep retail background and overall heart for the children and families entrusted to our care together with PHFC leadership and staff to further the mission of the Presbyterian Home for Children now in its 154th year of serving through our new PHFC Thrift Store at the Northgate Shopping Center,” Kitchin said.
