Media Release – Thrift Shoppe Fire Monday Night

by | POSTED: Sep 03, 2013

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bissell Centre Thrift Shoppe Fire Monday Night

EDMONTON, AB Sept 3rd, 2013 – Between 6:15 and 7:00 pm Monday evening a fire broke out in the back of our Thrift Shoppe at 8818 118 Ave. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the fire didn’t spread to neighbouring structures. Arson is not suspected as the cause of the fire.

There is structural and smoke damage to the building and it is currently considered unsafe. The total cost of damages won’t be known for a few days, but preliminary estimates are between $350,000 and $500,000 including loss of inventory.

We are estimating that the Thrift Shoppe will be un-operational for 3 – 4 months and we estimate a loss in revenue of about $70,000 per month. Bissell Centre is looking for an alternate location to continue receiving clothing donations.

The Thrift Shoppe serves 5,000 to 6,000 low income people a month who utilize this valuable resource to purchase affordable clothing, household items and children’s toys. The Thrift Shoppe also provides clothing to our free community closet where 20 agencies in Edmonton send clients to receive free clothing on a seasonal basis.

We are concerned about the 15 Thrift Shoppe employees and hope they can partake in clean-up efforts or that we can find temporary employment in other Bissell Centre programs, but it’s too early to know details at this time. We are also concerned about the impact that loss of revenue and costs not covered by insurance will have on our budget.

We are currently working to find an alternate location for donations of clothing and goods and are investigating options for opening a temporary store in the interim, but can’t confirm details at this time.

People can donate to Bissell Centre financially via our website https://bissellcentre.wufoo.com/forms/m7x3z9/  by phone: 780-425-6594 or in person at Bissell Centre’s main office: 10527 96 Street.

Bissell Centre’s South Side Donation Centre is located at 5120 122 Street and is still in operation from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Saturday. Phone: 780.423.2377.

Kristen Clark, Manager of Marketing and Communications, will be available for interviews outside the Bissell Centre Thrift Shoppe TODAY September 3, 2013 at 2:00 PM. C: 780.964.7220 kclark@bissellcentre.org

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