South Seaville Grange Hall Becomes Church Thrift Shop to Help Pay Mortgage

SOUTH SEAVILLE – Crediting patience, faith and a determination that once “we committed, we were going to do this,” a new Community Thrift Store opened last week at 457 Kings Highway under the auspices of the South Seaville United Methodist Church.
“We wondered if we could do this,” said Kate Richman, president of the church’s fundraising committee, which spearheaded the effort to convert the former Grange Building into a thrift store. “Once we committed though, we were determined.”
The idea to open a thrift store originated in October 2014, according to Beth Carter, secretary of the fundraising committee. It began to take shape in January. Committee members along with other members of the church painted, cleaned, polished and stocked the store.
“Pebbles donated shelving,” Carter said. “Even other churches donated things to help us, including the Cape May United Methodist Church. It seemed that every time we were working in the building, someone came by with donations.”
The proceeds from the store will help pay for the church’s mortgage, a result of a fire in 2011 that destroyed the historic building. In September 2014, a new church was consecrated on the grounds of the original church, and carries a mortgage.
“Owner of the building, James Pickering Jr., is giving us a six-month trial period to get our feet on the ground,” Maureen Gibson, treasurer of the fundraising committee noted, “Before the overhead costs kick in.”
“Our goal is to have an affordable place to shop,” Richman said, “while helping to pay off our mortgage. We have a shed in the back that’s available 24/7 for people to drop things off, and we hope the community continues to respond positively to donating items.”
Carter said they are accepting “almost everything, but no electronics, no mattresses. We especially need household items, clothing, knick knacks, and furniture.”
The grand opening of the store, April 25, coincided with Grange Month, which the fundraising committee members noted lends to the building’s varied history. “It’s a historical building,” Carter said. “It was a grange hall originally, and had retail space on the first floor. Over the years, it’s also been a meeting hall and served as a church for several denominations, including the South Seaville United Methodists who used it while building our new church.”
The store is open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Carter also said their Facebook page, Community Thrift, is updated daily.
National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry was founded in 1867. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, fraternal organization that advocates for rural America and agriculture, according to the organization’s website. At one time there were grange halls located throughout Cape May County’s mainland communities. At present there are about 2,100 Granges in the nation.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.