HOLLAND, Mich. — Community Action House's Southside Resale Store at 694 Michigan Ave. in Holland is back open after months of renovations, bringing with it a series of upgrades designed to improve accessibility, operations, and the overall shopping experience.
WATCH: Community Action House's Southside Resale Store reopens in Holland with upgrades
With the reopening, the nonprofit now operates two resale locations in Holland — the Southside store and its Northside location at 650 Riley St., which opened in April. Community Action House says having both stores will allow it to double its revenue and expand support for programs that serve neighbors in need.
James Smead, Director of Resale, said the renovations addressed both practical and community-focused improvements.
"We've also upgraded a lot of things in the store to be ADA compliant, so we have a new front door system, we have new restrooms, new fitting rooms," Smead said.
A new donation canopy was also added to streamline the drop-off process.
"We have a new donation canopy that is level to the ground, so guests can just drive up and we will walk right out. We don't have to go up and down steps anymore, we're not on an incline anymore," Smead said.
The Northside location has already expanded the organization's reach across Holland. The stores are more than traditional thrift shops. Revenue from resale directly funds multiple Community Action House programs.
"It is the financial driver, and it offers support to multiple programs for this organization, anywhere from the Food Club to our financial wellness team to our outreach team," Smead said.
Among those programs is a Housing Kits initiative, which provides essential items to community members transitioning into homes.
WATCH PRIOR COVERAGE: Northside Resale Store opens in Holland, expanding access for local families
"We help provide furniture, pots and pans, lamps, mattresses, bed frames, and those will go into kits," Smead said. "We will help assemble those kits at Resale here, and then our logistics team will help deliver those goods to the houses for our guests."
Community Action House also partners with First United Methodist Church through its Refresh Program.
"There is a volunteer group over at the church that helps outreach meet community members where they are during the week, offers them clothing, showers, and we provide a lot of the HBA products and the clothing that they give out," Smead said.
Shoppers at both resale locations benefit from everyday low prices compared to traditional retail, and Food Club members receive automatic discounts. Community Action House also provides vouchers to neighbors who need additional support.
WATCH PRIOR COVERAGE: Holland nonprofit opens second resale store location to serve more neighbors
"They can either get all of the items for free within that visit, or we will significantly decrease the cost of a good," Smead said. "There's multiple ways that we meet our guests to help them get the vouchers that they need to supply them with the goods to help them thrive."
Holland resident Kelly Wolters said the store has long been one of her go-to thrifting destinations, and she was glad to see it reopen.
"It was such a bummer when they were closed for a while, and it's fun to see it be fresh and new," Wolters said. "One of my favorite parts was as I was walking in, I was just admiring the beautiful mural by the donation area, and it just reminds you of the heart of why you're here."
Wolters, who shops for her young son, said the value and the mission behind the store make it stand out.
"Everything's so expensive these days and we have to look out for each other. We have to help each other. We have to love our neighbor, and so the fact that you can do something fun like thrift and know it goes for a great cause is the best," Wolters said.
The store will celebrate its reopening this Friday and Saturday with events running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Activities include a drawing for $75 gift cards, a golden ticket treasure hunt redeemable for West Coast Cash, and a partnership promotion with neighboring business Simpatico.
"If you come into the store with your Simpatico coffee, that'll be worth 10% off. Also, if you take your receipt from a purchase here over to Simpatico, you will get a drink token to use at the local store," Smead said.
