Oregon Humane Society to close downtown Salem thrift store

The Oregon Humane Society Thrift Store in downtown Salem will close at the end of the year due to several factors around economic challenges.

Although the number of donations has been on the rise, revenue has been declining in recent years, said Laura Klink, spokesperson for the Oregon Humane Society. The store has been financially breaking even, and projections estimate they will continue to do so through 2026.

"The thrift store was initially open to be a revenue source to fund the animal welfare work," Klink said. "And when it isn't serving that purpose anymore, we just have to make some hard choices."

The thrift store's annual Holiday Bazaar is still set to take place on Nov. 15 and 16, but will no longer accept donations as of Dec. 1.

The store at 548 High St. NE opened in 1968 as the Willamette Humane Society Thrift Store. Two years ago, it merged with the Oregon Humane Society.

The store has one full-time employee, five part-time employees, more than 20 volunteers and a handful of community service volunteers, Klink said.

The Humane Society hopes to retain the employees in the organization, Klink said.

"We have a lot of positions within the organization that probably tie very well to the skills they've developed at the thrift store," she said.

The Humane Society plans to sell the thrift store to another nonprofit by the end of the year, and hopes that might be an opportunity for the employees.

"There are other organizations that may be able to do it better than we can," Klink said. "And we are certainly hoping that somebody will want to take over the location."

Krissy Bradley has been working as the store manager of the thrift store since July and has seen the impact the store and employees have had on the community.

She recalled donating clothes to a man for a job interview after he was discharged from the hospital.

"We found some shoes, some jeans, some T-shirts and there was even a sleeping bag," Bradley said. "He came in a few days later and he's like 'I got the job'."

She said employees also have donated items to people who were wearing duct-taped shoes and a person using a jump rope for a leash.

"We put them to good use, whether we sell them or find someone in the community for them," she said.

The thrift store also has partnered with organizations such as Integrated Supports for Living, teaching kids job skills, and Easterseals, a nonprofit that helps seniors get back into the workforce. They've even hired two Easterseals volunteers.

Bradley worked in admissions at the Oregon Humane Society's shelter in Portland for eight months before becoming the thrift store manager and is hoping there is still a spot for her in admissions after the closure.

"I will miss this place, but I know with the shelter, we're going to continue to be making those positive impacts," she said.

Alexander Banks is an AAJA-SPJ reporting intern at the Statesman Journal. Reach him at abanks@statesmanjournal.com .

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon Humane Society to close downtown Salem thrift store