SANTA CRUZ — After being closed for almost three years due to a fire, Grey Bears’ Thrift Store is having a grand opening on Aug. 1.
The 25-year-old thrift store for the Grey Bears generated income for the senior citizen-assisting agency. In September 2014, a fire took place in the store’s repair room, burning the building to the ground. The definitive cause of the fire has not been determined.
Employees on site attempted to contain the fire but were not successful. No employees or volunteers were hurt during the incident.
Grey Bears announced that the new store will be larger, and thanks to donations, volunteers and community partners, the store is able to move forward. Grey Bears received a large amount of donations from Donald Richards and an anonymous donor.
Grey Bears Executive Director Tim Brattan said the organization is very thankful for every donation. While it received donations from many people, they are also grateful for those who worked with them on the plan to rebuild. Brattan especially made note of Teall Messer, the architect they worked with.
“He’s been instrumental in this whole process,” Brattan said. “He has been amazing and really helped us take this to the finale.”
Brattan expressed his positivity on the situation, making note that Grey Bears was still able to support its senior citizen programs, such as the Healthy Food for Seniors Program, which donates on average 4,000 bags of mainly fresh produce a week to seniors.
The Thrift Store will reopen in its same location at 2710 Chanticleer Ave. in Santa Cruz, at 11 a.m. on Aug. 1. The regular store hours will be Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. These hours might extend in the future. Donations will be accepted from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. everyday.
For information, visit www.greybears.org or call 479-1055.
