FOUR CORNERS, Mont. – A thrift store near the Korner Klub that has been around for over a decade selling clothes, shoes, books and other goods is facing an uncertain future.
Owner Linda Thompson said she will not be able to rent the space, and she will have to either shut down or find a new location.
The thought of not being able to help those in need breaks Thompson’s heart.
“It makes me feel really good when we can have somebody come and pick out the clothes they need or the food that they want,” said Thompson. “Or anything that they need and then we can hug them and tell them that we love them and they can go on their way.”
When customer Mei Turcott heard the thrift store could be closed in the next couple of months her stomach dropped.
“I started to cry because I am a stay at home mom,” said Turcott. “These women are my friends.”
Turcott and her family visit the store each day. Her son 7-year-old Airo thinks of Thompson not only as a friend but family.
“She’s kinda like a God Mother to me because she is pretty cool,” said Airo. “I am kinda sad that her shop is going away.”
Thompson doesn’t run her store like a typical thrift store. In the front corner, there is donated Wheat Montana bread for anyone who can’t afford to buy it on their own. In the back, there is a baling machine that takes a thousand pounds of clothes that cannot be sold and turns them into bales to be sent to Africa for kids in need.
As another day winds down, the reality of the store not being open for much longer sinks in. Thompson just hopes the community will step up to find an area to house the thrift store.
