Community welcomes renewal of Bridge Street Salvation Army store
The Salvation Army Thrift Store on Bridge Street has reopened after undergoing repairs this summer. The community favourite was forced to close its doors after a flood last spring left the building badly damaged.
Flooding displaced dozens and damaged buildings and roads in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia last June. Though flooding is not unfamiliar to residents of Sackville as well as many neighbouring towns and cities, the events of last spring were especially intense. The Thrift Store was one of the many buildings damaged in the flooding and had to undergo intense renovations for repairs to the damage.
Getting the work done was a smooth process said Nancy Sommerville, store manager. The store closing coincided with the closing of Bridge Street, which Sommerville said worked out favourably in many ways.
Sommerville described how the building’s six layers of flooring, all affected by the damage, made for a laborious repair process. Not only was the flooring completely redone, but the store is essentially brand-new after many improvements made to the store’s frontage and interior, including new racking and shelving, said Sommerville. She also said the store’s interactions with district and property management was “a great team effort” with “commitment to making it happen.”
“We feel very fortunate,” said Sommerville, “because the company made a huge investment back into Sackville. It isn’t a major city store, so we were pleasantly surprised.”
The store has been busy since reopening. In a small town like Sackville, places like the Thrift Store serve more than their purpose. “This isn’t just a retail outlet,” said Sommerville. “This is a social place where people come to visit. We have a lot of seniors who come to spend time, and of course we have needy families that missed the store being here as well.”
On a Saturday afternoon a week after reopening, the store was filled with young families, seniors, and Mount Allison students. It is evident that the store and the community opportunity was missed by many residents of Sackville.
“I think [our closing] was pretty significant,” said Sommerville, “more than in a larger city, because this store means so much to this community.”
The store had planned to reopen around Sept. 15, so opening the second week of October instead was “pretty much on schedule,” said Sommerville.
