When the Arc of St. Charles relocated its Cajun Village re-sale store to Highway 90 in Boutte, they expected an increase in sales and donations.
Not only was there an increase, Executive Director Victoria Bryant said that shoppers have tripled. Since the new store opened in November, it has attracted about 70 visitors per day.
The store’s inventory has also risen, with about 50 donations per day of items including furniture, clothing, toys, appliances and more.
In fact, the store is getting so many donations that it does not have enough time or volunteers to sort through everything. A large room in the back of the building houses hundreds of donations that have not yet made it out on the sales floor.
“Sorting through donations is a daily process,” said front floor manager Sandra Brown.
The new store is about 10,000 square feet bigger than the previous building on Old Spanish Trail and sells a little bit of everything, from records to shoes, vacuums to furniture and toys. The store will soon reveal its “Mardi Gras Room” full of beads and Carnival décor for sale.
Bryant said that the store also plans to start selling coffee and pastries to its patrons soon, with single-cup coffee already available.
The store obtained a few shopping carts for convenience after reading 60 surveys that customers filled out with suggestions and opinions on the new location and merchandise.
“People were scared to donate because they thought our stuff was new,” Bryant said.
Manager Ramanda Williams said that customers often tell her the store looks like it belongs in a mall because of the quality of merchandise.
The store has specials each month, with $5 bag sales on the first Saturday. The sales allow people to fill a bag with as much as they can of certain items and only pay $5. The store also offers deals to senior citizens each Wednesday.
The store not only aims to provide the community with high quality merchandise at dollar store prices, but also to give opportunities to disabled individuals in the parish. The store acts as a training facility for those with disabilities to learn how to operate a cash register, price items, sort items and greet patrons.
The store is located at 13432 Highway 90 in Boutte. The building the store now occupies was formerly Fisher Furniture and Good Housekeeping. The store’s hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The store is closed on Sundays.
For information on donating or volunteering, contact the Arc of St. Charles’ main office at (985) 785-0971. Visit www.arcofstcharles.com for more information.
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