Two Bonita churches open thrift stores

Two Bonita Springs-area churches are offering one solution. They are opening thrift stores. And people at both churches say they already have some goods that were purchased at the area's more fashionable (i.e. extraordinarily expensive) stores and then soon discarded.

Several programs offer clothes or other financial assistance to the needy in Southwest Florida. But many acknowledge that the funding of government assistance and charitable programs has not kept up with the sprawling growth in Lee and Collier counties.

The U.S. Census Bureau said Monday that Florida ranks seventh among states for income disparity. That reality is easy to see in places like the Manna Christian RV Park, a trailer park for migrant workers that sits across from the Worthington Country Club in Bonita Springs. The trailer park is not part of the city.

The church-run thrift shops offer a look at another aspect of that phenomenon. Dick Knotts, who helps run the First Thrift Shop at First Presbyterian Church on 9751 Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs which opens today, refers to one section of clothes as "The Fifth Avenue Section," since it holds mostly high-end dresses donated to the church after little use.

An overwhelming interest in the church's annual rummage sale prompted officials to look at opening a permanent thrift store, he said. At last year's rummage sale, the church grossed $38,000 and interested shoppers overran the church grounds for days.

The thrift shop, which is in the annex of the church, is intended to ease the community's need for cheap goods. "If some destitute person comes to town and needs assistance, we'll give it to them," he said.

The store will hold furniture, appliances, jewelry and clothes -- including "adult business suits" and "high-end stuff, designer clothes with retail tags," he said.

The Lamb of God Church, which has both Lutheran and Episcopalian pastors, in San Carlos Park opened a thrift shop after spotting a growing need in the area. Two members of the church's congregation, Jean Licopantis and Karen Johnson, helped spark the effort. The church is renting space at 7021 Constitution Boulevard #2 for the thrift shop, which is near the church and opens Monday.

Danielle Fenner, a parish administrator, said that the church would use half the funds from the thrift shop to help charities. She also said that the growth in the area had made it clear to church officials that a thrift shop would be well used.

"We have known there was a need," she said. "We would be able to help more charities. We would be able to touch more lives."

Fenner said the two congregation members had visited Pennywise Thrift shop at 9801 Bonita Beach Road, which is run by St. Mary's Episcopal Church.

Mike O'Connell, who helps run that thrift store, said that it had started up in a small rented space in a shopping center and grown to fill two neighboring stores before moving to the church's old parish hall. Last year, it grossed $185,000. The church gives half of the earnings to charity, and the rest to pay off a mortgage.

"We're doing very well," he said. "The quality of stuff in thrift stores is much better than it used to be. Bonita Springs is becoming much more upscale and the donations are much more upscale."