Craig S. Semon
SPENCER – The long-standing Salvation Army Family Store & Donation Center at 120 West Main St. is no more and the owner of the property is working to get another thrift store there in its place.
“We were surprised by them suddenly leaving,” Fawaz El Khoury of PELK LLC, in Northborough, said. “We tried to renegotiate the lease with them but they just said, 'No thank you.' They sent us a notice saying no.”
The Salvation Army Family Store & Donation Center has been a thrift-store destination in town for close to 28 years, Khoury said. May 16, Khoury bought the six-acre parcel that includes the building from Raoul M. Chalifoux, trustee for EK Nominee Trust in Tolland, Connecticut, for $2 million.
Khoury said The Salvation Army was paying “a small amount” for rent and they increased it “a little bit.”
“They just decided to walk away. And we weren’t prepared for that,” Khoury said. “Unfortunately, we were renegotiating with them. We tried to work with them and they said it was not practical for them to be there anymore and they’re leaving. They left. They gave us like one week or two weeks warning.”
Khoury said he was trying to renegotiate the five-year lease agreement but the Salvation Army wanted to sign a one-year lease, which wouldn’t be practical, he said.
Capt. Jeffrey Brunelle oversees The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center in Worcester, which also operated the thrift store in Spencer.
According to a press release, Brunelle said the first priority of The Salvation Army Family Thrift Store in Spencer was to raise funds to continue offering rehabilitation programs to people in need at no-cost, but, due to “current circumstances,” it made supporting these programs through this store impossible.
“The decision to close the store was not made lightly,” Brunelle said. “But, after much review, it seems to be the most responsible choice.”
Despite closing down shop at its Spencer location, The Salvation Army stresses that assistance for those who struggle with alcohol and substance abuse, and a variety of other life issues will continue to be available through their Adult Rehabilitation Center at 72 Cambridge St., Worcester.
Furthermore, a full range of services will still be provided at their Worcester Citadel, 640 Main St., Worcester.
Donors and shoppers will still be able to support The Salvation Army’s work at other area Salvation Army Family Stores, including locations in Worcester, Webster, Gardner and Fitchburg.
“The Thrift Store did provide great value to many families in need,” Brunelle said. “Although the store is leaving, The Salvation Army isn’t going anywhere. We’re still absolutely committed to meeting needs by serving this community.”
Brunelle said every effort is being made to refer employees of the Spencer store to open positions at other Salvation Army centers.
The Salvation Army Family Store & Donation Center is not the first thrift store to close in Spencer. On June 2, the historic First Congregational Church, which was the home of a popular thrift store, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.
Khoury said he’s working to secure a deal with two different prospective tenants, but that it’s too early to discuss who the interested parties are.
“One is coming in next week to look at it and see if we’re going to reopen it as a thrift store as well,” Khoury said. “We’re going to make sure it’s high-quality goods.”
The interior of the store is being repainted and cleaned up for the next prospective tenant, Khoury said.
Khoury said they’re looking at bringing in another thrift store because that’s the right thing to do for the community.
“We’ve talked to a couple local real estate agents to see if they had anybody (retail businesses) but they said it would take eight to nine months to get any retailers there,” Khoury said. “That’s why we decided, 'No, we’re going to move on fast and we going to put in another thrift store because there has been one in the community for so many years.' So we were like to serve the community as well and reopen another thrift store, God willing.”