When will the Starbucks by Biloxi mall open? And it’s not the only new store nearby
Halloween is prime time at America’s Thrift Stores, and the newest in the chain opened in Biloxi, just in time for those searching for costumes and accessories.
Right behind this opening is a dollar store coming to Edgewater Mall, and the new Starbucks under construction outside the mall, along U.S. 90.
Terry Powell, mall manager, said Starbucks’ fans should watch for it to open late this year or in early 2022.
America’s Thrift Stores opened Thursday in the former Stein Mart in the Edgewater Village Shopping Center on Eisenhower Drive
“Halloween is when we are the busiest,” said manager Jason Benda, who worked at five America’s Thrift Stores before this one on the Coast. Another in the chain is in Ocean Springs.
For those wanting to “dress the decades,” for Halloween, the store has clothes from Roaring ‘20s flapper outfits to ‘60s hippie fringed jackets.
“We offer thrift items mixed in with our new items,” Benda said. They have new and donated costumes and accessories, along with new wigs and makeup to complete the look.
Store filled with bargains
Most people are surprised by the quality and selection at their stores, said Ken Sobaski, president and CEO of America’s Thrift Store, based in Birmingham, Alabama.
Biloxi is their 24th store since opening in 1984, he said, and the seventh new one in 24 months. The company plans to open three or four new stores a year, he said. The new store has 80 employees, with 10 coming to Biloxi from other stores.
The aisles are neatly organized with books and housewares to the left of the front door and clothing for men, women and children filling the center. Halloween is inside the door to the right.
It’s the place to find a bargain, like a silver tea service with tray for $24.99, ready to use after polishing. Shoppers can find the charger for their phone, a Karaoke machine and other electronics. On the shelves and hanging throughout the store are albums, purses, toys and tools.
A selection of large new rugs are priced at $79.95. New mattresses that come with a box spring start. at $179.
Ladies’ fashions are the number one seller in the stores.
“That’s because women do most of the shopping,” Sobaski said, and women’s clothing is what is most donated.
The store has fitting rooms, so men can try on a suit before they buy and women can see how the jewelry, hats and other accessories look with the outfits they found.
How donations work
Most people donate not because they are tired of their clothes or housewares — “They donate because something happened to them or their household,” Sobaski said. People move and need to downsize, he said, they change size or kids move out.
They can drop donations in one of the boxes outside the store or out in the community. Donations also can be brought inside the store, where a bin next to the front door lets customers drop and shop.
Three donation trucks go out to pick up at donation bins or in people’s homes, Sobaski said, arranging for home pickup by calling 800-964-4567.
The trucks return at the end of the day to be unloaded and all donations are weighed. That weight is used to calculate America’s Thrift Stores’ donation to children’s health charities and addiction recovery in each community where the store operates.
In South Mississippi, the donation is to Home of Grace, a local faith-based addiction recovery organization.
America’s Thrift Stores will donate more than $3 million this year, Sobaski said, selling gently-used items that are donated.
All of the donations are sorted, tagged by size and date, priced and price and ready to go out on the sales floor.
“Not everything goes out,” Sobaski said. About 60% of the donations are sold, and 40% bundled and sold wholesale.
This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
