Farmington Salvation Army Thrift Store to close Saturday

FARMINGTON N.M. – The Salvation Army thrift store has been in Farmington for many years. But for the past six or seven years, the foot traffic has not been as heavy as it used to be.

The store has been losing money – at least $65,000 since the start of 2020.

“Basically in a nutshell we can no longer continue to cover the costs and if the store is not making the revenue, you know, here we are, so a decision had to be made,” said Lt. Christopher Rockwell, the corps officer for the Farmington Salvation Army.

However, COVID-19 was not the only reason for the decrease in sales. The store’s location was not attracting a lot of shoppers. The doors will officially close on Saturday, but the ministry is trying to think of other ways the building can be helpful to the community.

“Ideas that have come around, that I have thought about and I’ve been praying on is maybe making a social services unit or even a hygiene center for people who are low income or homeless. They can come get toiletries, wash their clothes, do their laundry or something like that.” Lt. Rockwell said.

Now that the store is closing, the ministry would like to focus on a recovery ministry for those who may suffer from drug and alcohol addiction. People can still donate clothes that will be used to help people in need, especially during the upcoming winter months.