Foundry Thrift Store now open to public

Published 2:11 pm Monday, November 27, 2017

PELHAM – The Foundry Thrift Store will have its grand opening on and ribbon cutting on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 10:30 a.m.

For its grand opening weekend, Dec. 14-16, the thrift store will have giveaways, prizes and store discounts.

The store had its soft opening on Nov. 9 and is now open to the public Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The thrift store is now accepting donations.

The thrift store, located on the Pelham-Alabaster line, is a nonprofit that benefits the Foundry Ministries. This will be the organizations fourth thrift store. The other three are located in Cullman, Pell City and Fairfield.

The Pelham store will provide up to 25 new jobs to the Shelby County community.

John Roland, director of development and marketing, said 100 percent of the proceeds from the thrift store will support the Foundry’s outreach efforts. The Foundry Ministries exists to “restore hope and rebuild the lives of the addict, the ex-inmate and the destitute through Christ-centered recovery, re-entry and rescue.”

The Foundry has programs to help the homeless, people engulfed addiction and men recently released from incarceration. Foundry CEO Micah Andrews said the organization is thrilled to become a part of the Shelby County community.

“Shelby County, and more specifically Pelham and Alabaster, have such a rich history of community involvement,” he said. “Being a part of such a community is what we’re looking for. We believe this location will allow us to serve an even larger population through partnerships with schools, churches, businesses and the people of Shelby County.”

Andrews said the thrift store will provide affordable, gently used products to the community.

“Once we open, shoppers will be able to take advantage of amazing deals on clothing, shoes, accessories, furniture, small and large appliances and electronics,” he said. “We will work hard to contribute and give back to our new community through a variety of services. We want to be good neighbors.”

From July 2016 to June 2017, the Foundry served 422,665 meals, provided 129, 484 beds, provided 19,501 hours of counseling and provided its clients with 645,750 employment readiness hours. The Foundry also operates a mobile produce pantry that provided food to the residents of area government housing projects.

The organization is a member of the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and their director of women’s recovery, Tawana Pendley, has volunteered to serve with the county’s Compact 2020 program.

The thrift store is located at 3592 Pelham Parkway, in the old Food Depot building next to Staples and McDonalds on U.S. 31. For more information call 424-2400.