Last Day To Shop East Sonora Red Church Thrift Store
East Sonora, CA – After more than 20 years in East Sonora, the Red Church Thrift Store closes its doors for good today.
Located on Tuolumne Road, off Hess Avenue, the thrift store has been around at other locations for over 35 years and is run by the Saint James’ Episcopal Church, referred to as the “Red Church” in downtown Sonora. Regarding the closure, Bishop’s Warden Mary Lynn Ashburn stated, “Overhead continued to rise beyond our sales intake, so it’s a really sad, difficult decision but as a business, we just can’t continue. The store could not cover its own overhead.”
The store still has housewares, furniture, and sports items, like waterskis, and unique items such as a pair of parasailing sail frames for sale until 5 p.m. Additionally, all the store’s shelving, clothes racks, and display cases are for sale. Ashburn noted that anything that does not sell and is in good shape will not be thrown out; instead, she shared, “Nothing will be disposed of. If we can either sell it to the people who want it or need it, or work also with Give Someone a Chance and Nancy’s Hope, and so, all of the things that are in good condition will still be going out into the community to serve the community.”
The store has seen a steady stream of customers since it opened this morning at 10 a.m. Ashburn shared that with costs continuing to rise, many in the community still rely on these stores to keep costs down, adding, “We encourage everyone to continue to shop at all the other thrift stores in the area that serve the needs of people who need it as much as people who enjoy thrifting. We just really hope that everyone will continue to support the thrift stores in the area.”
