“Our normal hours are challenging for some people, and we are trying to offer shopping hours for those who can’t get away from work during the duty day,” she said. “We will see if this approach is successful.”
The shop, located at 5265 Miller St., Bldg. 95, near the intersection of Wright Avenue and Allbrook Drive, Area A, is normally open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. to anyone who has base access. It also will be open Saturdays for sales only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 7, April 4, May 9 and June 6. Dates are subject to change.
In the event of weather delays and closures, the shop follows the status of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Fairborn City Schools.
A wide variety of merchandise, such as clothing, household appliances and furniture, is available; the inventory changes frequently.
Newberry said the stock now includes quite a bit of furniture – including a hutch, coffee table and two end tables – plus lots of kitchen items.
“If someone is looking at setting up an apartment, they should check out the Thrift Shop,” she added.
The Base Thrift Shop also takes consignments as long as the person has a valid Department of Defense identification card. Consignment hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. After establishing an account, consignors can complete a contract to sell 16 items per week and receive 70 percent of the sold items’ sale price. The length of time of each contract is five weeks.
Cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are acceptable methods of payment.
The shop is mostly run by volunteer staff members who donate hundreds of hours per month. All net profits are donated to the Officers' Spouses' Club welfare fund which helps support different programs in the military, including scholarships to active-duty or retired military members' spouses and dependents, and Miami Valley communities. Scholarship applications are being accepted and can be found on the club's website at www.wrightpattersonosc.org.
Organizations that have benefited include the Air Force Sergeants Association Thanksgiving baskets, Honor Flight, local high school after-prom committees and more.
Information on consigning, shopping or volunteering can be found online at www.wrightpattersonosc.org , by calling the shop during business hours at 937-879-5630, or by visiting the club's Facebook page at WPOSC THRIFT SHOP.
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