Classy Seconds opens at its new location Saturday.
The 20-year-old thrift store run by Advocates to End Domestic Violence (AEDV) is now in a newly-constructed building on Gordon Street and Highway 50 East.
The 14,000 square foot building, which boasts an 11,000 square foot merchandise floor, was designed by Darrin Berger, principal partner, Berger Hannifan Architecture LLP, and built by Shaheen Beauchamp Builders LLC.
But most of the interior was a do-it-yourself family affair.
The six-foot, painted nutcrackers that guard either side of the entrance were made from food barrels by Lisa Lee, AEDV executive director.
The decorative mirrors lining the wall and the letters spelling out boutique, each one scavenged from sign shops, were installed by Lee’s husband. Her son and husband put in the brick wall behind the cash register and Terri Farnworth, AEDV office manager, made the clock hanging there. Farnworth’s husband installed the corrugated sheet metal and wood that decorate the counter.
Even Lee’s sisters who arrived for the grand opening got in on the act. One sister from Los Angeles painted the display cases while the other from Nashville arrived with a suitcase full of items to donate.
“How many sisters would bring their used clothing across the country?” said Lee.
And staff spent a week of long evening hours assembling racks and organizing merchandise to get ready for the opening, celebrated Thursday night with a ribbon cutting.
“Our hands are worn and blistered,” said Lee.
The store floor is about 1,500 square feet bigger than its previous location, with air conditioning, plenty of sunlight, and two large dressing rooms instead of one.
“The dressing rooms are the size of somebody’s New York apartment,” said Lee.
The building also features 3,000 square feet upstairs being used for storage. The three-acre site also came with a warehouse AEDV is using for storage, too.
Donations can be dropped off via a drive-through on the side of the building.
And the store will now be open at least 15 hours more a week.
The new store hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“We’re more accessible now. The old place was kind of hard to find,” said Lee. “We were a destination before. Now, I’m hoping we’re more of an impulse shop. People will drive by and stop.”
