Thrift malls thriving amid bumpy economic recovery | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Summing up the allure of thrift stores, Dana Smith said it boils down to economics and comfort.

“There’s less driving around, gas is too high to go to yard sales and stuff like that,” the Columbus resident said while strolling through Chapman’s Thrift Mall on Wynnton Road. “Plus you don’t have to worry about the weather. Older people can come because it’s cooler.”

Of course, there’s also the desire to find something unique and at a bargain. In Smith’s case, she collects glass cats and antique bottles.

“That’s my thing, stuff that don’t take up a lot of room,” she said. “But every now and then you will run up on something that you need instead of something you want.”

Whatever the reason for purchasing or collecting, the Columbus market is experiencing a surge in new thrift stores and malls. And some that have been around a while are expanding.

One of the biggest success stories might be Joey’s Thrift Mall on 10th Avenue. The business, which previously operated in the old Bibb Mill before that structure’s fiery destruction in October 2008, is now preparing to expand for the fifth time, said manager Robert Gooch.

The mall, which now has nearly 200 booths, is looking to add a large furniture area with an electronics area and additional parking. It is situated inside a former Royal Crown Cola bottling plant that also served as air-conditioned storage space after RC’s closure here.

“I honestly believe it’s due to the economy,” Gooch said when asked why the business is experiencing growth. “The vendors go out and find good bargains. They bring it in here and price it to the point that the public can afford it. And as you can see throughout the store, we have a little bit of everything.”

Jimmy Revells agrees. It’s why he opened the doors of Chapman’s Thrift Mall on Wynnton Road on April 15, roughly six weeks after doing the same in a former Movie Gallery store on Macon Road.

That’s the same Chapman’s location that served as a variety store for a half century before closing four years ago. Revells is simply using the Chapman’s name with the permission of the store’s former owner.

“Some thrift malls think that you can just let the people come in ... like at a flea market,” said Revells, whose Wynnton location has 55 booths, while there are 26 at the Macon Road shop. Monthly rents range from $95 to $250.

“At a thrift mall you’ve got to have customer service and have somebody to greet the customers and not just say hello,” he said. “If they’ve never been there before, show them around a little bit, talk to them about what it is, and keep ’em coming back.”

The competition is ramping up, however. On top of more than two dozen thrift-oriented stores in the area -- including those operated by the Salvation Army and Valley Rescue Mission -- a juggernaut is setting up shop on Veterans Parkway in north Columbus.

The business, called Front Porch of the South, is aiming for a May 5 opening and billing itself as 130,000 square feet of antiques, collectibles, vintage and thrift goods space. It also plans a 20,000-square-foot event center that can hold concerts, auctions and theater events.

Calls to the Front Porch, which is still under construction, were not returned. Its Facebook page, however, promises “great bargains, family entertainment, live auctions and many other surprises.”

Both Gooch and Revells said there’s plenty of room in the city’s burgeoning thrift market for additional players.

“It’s like putting another Kmart every two miles or putting a Walmart every two miles,” Revells said. “If the other malls have the customer service that I’m going to provide here, they’ll do good.”

Gooch’s theory is that newer stores are seeing the success it is having and are trying to replicate it to some extent. There’s more than enough bargain-hungry customers locally to justify the growth, he said.

“Have you been out in the traffic lately?” he asked rhetorically. “There’s plenty of people out there. And the traffic goes from south to north and we just happen to be kind of in the middle of it. I hope we can all exist in peace, and I think our business here will continue to thrive.”

If customers like Rachel Warr of Columbus are the norm, then that just could be the case.

“The draw is looking for that bargain, and sometimes you just don’t know what it is. I came specifically today looking for flower pots,” said Warr, who visits most of thrift stores in city regularly and acknowledged the financial aspect of cheap discoveries is a big reason.

“I think that’s bringing a lot of the thrift malls to life,” she said. “It’s like an indoor yard sale.”