Salvation Army opens newly renovated retail store

Published 2:49 pm Friday, August 21, 2020

The Salvation Army of Milledgeville recently opened the doors to its newly-renovated retail store. 

Cynthia Ward-Edwards serves as the director of the Salvation Army for both Milledgeville and Sandersville and she is very proud of the store’s clean, new look.

“Everything is new here inside,” said Ward-Edwards. “Everything is state-of-the-art in this building.”

The store has operated out of the front part of the building at 461 E. Hancock St. for several years, but the space was very limited. Some merchandise had to be displayed outside the store and then stored away in the warehouse every night. With the newly-renovated store now occupying the back part of the same building, the store has quintupled in size from 1,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet, allowing for a more spacious and pleasant shopping space for customers.

In addition to the added space, the store has numerous upgrades including all new clothing racks and shopping carts, new flooring, freshly painted walls, and updated technology. A new phone system is being installed, and new office spaces are being finished for Ward-Edwards and her administrative assistant.

The Salvation Army store sells quality secondhand clothing, shoes, purses, toys, housewares, furniture, books and more for bargain prices. Proceeds from the store go toward paying the store’s staff and supporting the broad array of services the Salvation Army provides to community members in need of assistance. 

Ward-Edwards has been the director of the Salvation Army for two years, and in addition to overseeing all of the operations at the stores in Milledgeville and Sandersville, she is responsible for making connections in the community to provide crucial social services to people who come to her organization in need. The need has been particularly great recently due to hardships suffered amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have really had to help a lot of folks in our community,” said Ward-Edwards.

The Salvation Army helps those who qualify with such resources as rent and utilities assistance, food assistance and getting affordable clothing. The organization partners with the United Way to procure funding for the services provided.

“Folks come in, then we interview them and see what their needs are, and if they meet the qualifications then we’re able to assist them,” said Ward-Edwards.

Dedicated hours are available to seek such assistance from 10 a.m. until noon on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in Milledgeville and the second and fourth Thursday of each month in Sandersville. While Ward-Edwards prefers for people in need to call ahead to discuss the services they are seeking, she works hard to not turn away anyone in need if they show up at her door.

“There’s so many testimonials,” said Ward-Edwards. “We’ve had people that have actually been living up under the [river] bridge who were going for an interview and they needed clothing to wear, and it was an excitement for me to be able to help them pick out clothing to wear.”

Ward-Edwards does her best to connect people to the resources they need to get back on their feet. She often partners with the county recreation department and local soup kitchens to get people food or simply a place to take a shower and dress for a job interview.

With the new store occupying the back part of the Salvation Army’s building, Ward-Edwards hopes to use the front portion of the building for outreach programs such as GED assistance or afterschool programming for children who live across the street in the Riverbend Apartments. 

With the revenue from the store supporting these crucial services, the Salvation Army also accepts donations of items to sell in the store. Per CDC guidelines, donated items are held in a three-day quarantine before being sorted and tagged for sale.

For Ward-Edwards, it’s important that the public understand that donations need to be in good condition to be able to sell. 

“That’s what I want to make clear to the community. Just make sure that when you’re bringing the donations, think about ‘Is this something I’ve just outgrown, but somebody else can use it?’” said Ward-Edwards. “That’s the vision I have for the Salvation Army of Milledgeville and Sandersville, that they’ll bring us things that we can be proud of to give to somebody else.”

Ward-Edwards said she hopes the pride she takes in the standards of the store will trickle down to the people the Salvation Army helps.

“We want people to have a sense of pride of the Salvation Army because we’re helping other people. And we want to make sure when we help them that they have a sense of pride as well,” said Ward-Edwards.

The Salvation Army store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and everyone is welcome to shop. Ward-Edwards said many of the store’s customers are people who are simply looking for good bargains. She counts herself among such customers who appreciate the deals that await in the store.

“You can find so many beautiful things here,” said Ward-Edwards. “It’s a hidden treasure; that’s what I want folks to know.”