Havre's Salvation Army store closed for restructure, remodel

The Salvation Army is not abandoning Havre but is closing its thrift store to restructure and remodel, a regional director said Tuesday.

Salvation Army Service Extension and Disaster Service Director Shaun Jones said all other services Salvation Army provides will still be available during this time.

"The goal is to reopen (the store in the) springtime," Jones, whose region runs from Washington through Montana, said in an interview Tuesday. "There is a capital project that was on the books from last year that we are looking at doing on the store."

Jones said part of the project is to redo the floors and the store, needs to be closed for that due to asbestos.

"What we'll do, we'll temporarily close it, we'll clean it all out, we'll do the store and do the floors and everything that needs to be done under the capital project, and then reopen under a new model," Jones said.

He added that the financial component for the closure was that the store was running in the red and unable to make money.

A few years ago, the thrift store was doing great financially, Jones said, but has been in a decline to a point where it was no longer working under the old model.

"The new model is to be about 85 percent volunteer," Jones said. "Before, it was zero percent volunteer."

That is the only way that the store will make enough money to help pay for Salvation Army's social services, he said, which is the goal of having the store open.

He said Salvation Army will have similar model used across the country in smaller stores, where one paid staff member oversees a team of volunteers, and that model has proven financially viable.

"When you're paying money on the salaries instead of doing the volunteer piece of it," Jones said, "that money, it takes away from the social service arm and this would be a big boost to the community in the long run. That's what you got to look at, look at the future of it."

Jones said all of the employees of the Havre Salvation Army thrift store have been laid off and given severance.

"We took care of them the best that we could," Jones said.

Salvation Army Regional Retail Volunteer Coordinator Karen Lynch will be working with Salvation Army Havre Service Center Director Trina Crawford in the following months to identify partners and other programs that can work in the volunteer system, Jones said. Many opportunities have not yet been tapped by the Havre Salvation Army, he added, work programs, job placement programs and others that could be a benefit to the community.

A few examples of thrift stores that have seen success with the restructuring are the Salvation Army stores in Lewiston, Idaho, and in Spokane, Washington, he said, adding that he thinks this will be a positive change for the store as well as the community.

"Sometimes a reset is good. It's unfortunately a growing pain that goes with it," he said, adding that this is something that just needed to be done.

"When the store comes back stronger than it was ... in the past, we'll be able to get more dollars from that system to help more people," Jones said. "That's the plus-plus about it."

The social service side is completely solvent, Jones said, adding that it doesn't run any debt so is doing fine.

"They spend what they have," he said.

"This community has been really great about stepping up and helping the social service side," he added. "Havre is extremely helpful with us. They support us, but sometimes the dollars don't always reach the needs."

Havre's Salvation Army Thrift Store is also not taking any donation at this time, he said, adding that a few months before the reopen donation will again be accepted.

Jones said Salvation Army is still looking for a contractor to remove the asbestos and redo the floors, adding that they are always open to local bids and interested contractors should contact Lynch.

Timing of the closure is not great, Jones said, because of Herberger's, Sears and Kmart closing in Havre at about the same. Those closures are a hit to the community, he said, but the Salvation Army store is coming back.

Crawford said that during this time she still wants to encourage people to remember the emergency service side and donations are still welcome and much needed.

"There are still needs out there, and we are still addressing those needs," Crawford said. "We definitely still need the help of the community on that side."

Jones said Salvation Army is still helping with lodging, utilities, programs that they have always done.

He added that Salvation Army has been serving the community for more than 100 years and they won't go anywhere. In the past year more than 6,000 people in the area received assistance from Salvation Army, Jones said.

"A third of the county has seen services out of this office," he said.

He said again that Salvation Army will continue those services, including through the holidays.

"Christmas is coming," Jones said. "We'll be ringing those bells, we're going to be doing the big Christmas distribution for the children, like we do every single year out here ... none of that is going to change."

People who are interested in volunteer opportunities or bids should contact Lynch at [email protected]/.