As the colder months approach, places such as the Salvation Army thrift store in Levelland are essential for individuals in need. Four months into the opening of the store, Becky Currington has seen nothing but growth as she manages the first year of the store. “I think we have been able to assist a few people and help them get back to where they need to be,” explained Currington. “We pray that the economy doesn’t get any worse, but if that is the case I think we will become very important.” Keeping quality items that buyers can feel confident leaving the store with is one of Currington’s priorities. “We knew we would have to compete with other thrift stores around Lubbock, but we want to keep people here,” said Currington. “My whole philosophy about this has been to under-sale and allow people to have the ability to buy rather than marking items high and forcing them to travel for what they need.” Focused on service to the community, the store has partnered with agencies and churches to put in place a voucher system to help people in greater need. “People who need in situations with clothing, house hold goods, etc., can be referred and bring a voucher in,” explained Currington. “In some cases some of the agencies are able to pay for it while others can’t be we look at it as charity on our part.” Continuously accepting donations, Currington knows there is something for anybody in need. Offering clothing, house hold items, some furniture and other goods allows for people in the Levelland community and surrounding areas to find what they need. “Within the first week of announcing donations we were able to nearly stock the front of the building,” said Currington.
Ready to open, Currington has seen a good amount of traffic flow in and out of the store. For Currington, when asked about the amount of work to get the store up and running she tells people that it took a little bit of blood, a lot of sweat and a couple of tears. Before getting to work, the group had to wait for the place to pass inspection. After that, a whole lot of man hours went into getting the space clean, presentable and ready for people to visit. “I love to show people photos of the before and after of the cleanup,” said Currington.
As the store neared its scheduled opening, Currington announced the store is ready for donations. “When Major Worthy asked about the possibility of opening a store and it become more and more real, I explained to the board that I have retail experience,” explained Currington. “Now, instead of doing it for a store for profit, I am doing it to help people. I love how my life is full circle in that way.”
When Currington went to work for Hockley County and Indegent Health Care, she got to know people who were in need and that didn’t necessarily mean low income individuals. Currington explained that middle-class people can fall on hard times as it happens to everyone. “People needing help covers the entire spectrum of people. As someone who was involved in the service organizations it gave me a love for helping people,” said Currington. “This is what it is all about, being in service to others in one way or another.”