Catholic Charities looks to get word out about thrift store

Talk about a Catch-22. Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada administrators said the charity’s newest thrift store at 915 S. Rainbow Blvd. is seeing half the business expected because it lacks proper signage to alert people that it’s there. But it can’t afford a sign until the store brings in more money.

“I’m surprised at the number of people who say they’ve never seen us here,” said Diane Hutton, director of retail operations for Catholic Charities. “One woman said she goes to the gym in the center and never saw us.”

Catholic Charities opened the thrift store in July 2011. A banner was placed above the doors as a temporary measure. The lack of a sign was not a high priority when it first opened, Catholic Charities officials said, as it did not have a permanent lease. It signed one in August. Now that the legalities are secure, Catholic Charities is looking to move ahead with proper signage.

Normally, the money would come from its sales. The charity said that the lack of a sign is the reason the store is not doing as much business as predicted.

“Revenue-wise, we barely break even on retail,” Hutton said. “What revenue we make supports our warehouse, our trucks, our drivers.”

The store is sandwiched between an Albertsons and a Home Depot in a shopping center just north of Charleston Boulevard. The center is a busy one, but the thrift store is tucked behind the Ross Dress for Less that opened in the fall. Having the clothing store there has increased foot traffic at the thrift store, but not enough.

The shopping center dictates that stores use channel letters that are lit up. Channel means they have depth. A sign is estimated to cost $10,000 to $18,000, depending on the height of the letters. Hutton said the 18-inch letters were preferable, as they would stand out more.

“The reason I want bigger is because that soffit blocks our space, so I want them bigger so people can see us here,” Hutton said.

The store is stocked with about 60 percent clothing and 25 percent furniture, with the rest household items.

Some locals said they had no idea the thrift store existed.

Virginia Kell of the Centennial Hills area saw the banner and stopped in while on another errand.

“I didn’t know this was here; I never came down this far (in the center),” she said. “I was having trouble with my phone and was told Verizon was here, so that’s when I saw it.”

Kristine Keno, who was shopping for furniture with her husband, Kendrick, said she had gone past the store “at least 100 times before I realized it was here ... I was walking from Ross to another store, and that’s when we saw it.”

Downtown resident Rosa Maria Arellano was shopping for her 14-year-old granddaughter. She said she comes to the store about once a month. She happened to see the banner soon after it opened.

“I came to the grocery store, and when I went to go to the smoke shop, driving by, I saw it,” she said. “I told my friends about it, but they said they couldn’t find it. So, I (explain to) them, ‘It’s between these two stores.’ ”

“I speculate we could double our revenue by having a sign to get the people in here,” Hutton said. “With Ross opening –– they opened this past fall –– that definitely gave us more foot traffic.”

But it was not enough. The charity declined to give specifics but said the 8,000-square-foot store is bringing in half of what it should. The money goes to support the many programs Catholic Charities provides, including: Meals on Wheels; the Homeless to Home program; residential work program; vouchers for transportation; and supplying clothing to those in its shelters.

The store could better support programs if it saw more traffic, Hutton said.

“We’re hoping to make enough revenue in the store to pay for the sign, but if an anonymous donor were to come along, we would really be tickled,” Hutton said. “It’s crucial to us; it’s crucial to our business.”

The store is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 702-383-6314.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.