Michelle’s Place Thrift Store is well on its way to being a hot spot for locals as they recently celebrated a successful opening.
The non-profit thrift shop, which is apart of the well established SAFE-T program, is located in the small shopping mall across from Kroger’s at 1579 Clarksville St.
In their first week of operations, store manager Christie Burnett said they had seen a steady stream of customers coming in and finding some great products.
“We have seen people in waves, which is expected,” she said, “we are still getting the word out that we are here, but hopefully as people find out we are here we see more and more come through the doors.”
The name of the thrift shop is a unique one. Burnett said that their namesake was from a former client of the SAFE-T program and that’s how they came about the meaningful name for the thrift shop.
“Michelle’s Place is named with the family’s permission after a client of SAFE-T Crisis Center was murdered by her abuser in 2019. Michelle was fleeing long-term abuse when she came to the SAFE-T Crisis Center seeking shelter and legal services,” said Burnett.
She went on to explain that although she slept safely in the shelter, she continued to work at her same employer throughout the process. Unfortunately, her abuser knew where to find her and despite heightened security, he was able to take her life before his own.
So as SAFE-T began looking for a name, Burnett said that it was only fitting to give honor to Michelle who was taken so tragically from her abuser.
“SAFE-T stands for Shelter Agencies for Families in East Texas,” Burnett said, “ we provide aid to those that suffer from domestic violence and sexual assault. So all the money we make in the thrift shop goes directly back to the locals in need through the shelter.”
The thrift shop is solely run on donations and they try and keep prices as low as possible; they still offer discounts for first responders and military personnel.
The store operates Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. you can also connect with them through their Facebook page for any drop off donations or questions.
