Ponoka non-profit Mission Thrift Store has settled into its new building and is inviting the community to celebrate with them.
Now located at 3911 Highway 2A Ponoka, the former Ponoka Legion building, the store held a soft opening in the beginning of January.
The official grand opening will start with a VIP event on Feb. 13, from 7 to 9 p.m.
On Friday, Feb. 14, there will be a public celebration, starting with a ribbon cutting at 9:30 a.m., followed by remarks from Mayor Kevin Ferguson, MLA Jennifer Johnson, the CEO of their foundation and their board chair.
Ponoka Legion president Earl Peavoy will also be present for a special dedication of the building. The store will have a memorial section to honour the history of the building as the Ponoka Legion Branch No. 66's home of many years.
The memorial will serve to show the legion "we remember the sacrifices they made," said Mission general manager Leigh Taylor, adding recognizing the legion's legacy has been a priority "near and dear" to their hearts.
At 10 a.m., refreshments will be served and the store will open for customers.
It became necessary for Mission to move out of the downtown area due to safety concerns and other issues.
"I won't talk about the negatives for what it was downtown," said Taylor, but said the issues were preventing them from onboarding new volunteers.
"It was really all about the safety of our volunteers and clients."
There was also a lack of storage space for donated items and customers had commented there wasn't' enough room to navigate through the isles, she said.
A company in Calgary, which loves Mission thrift stores, was buying the former legion building and approached Mission about moving in as the new tennants. It was an opportunity they couldn't pass up.
"It was hard to say goodbye to al ot of customers who felt they couldn't make it up this way," said Taylor.
However, since their soft opening, customers have been finding their way back, she said.
This is the third move the store has made since it first opened in Ponoka in 2008 - and so far, it's the best one yet, she said.
Their first location was on 50th St. by the Pizza Hut.
In 2016, they moved to their second location, 5100 51st Ave., across from Tangles.
With their visibility now, being located right on Highway 2A, Taylor said many people are finding them for the first time.
Plus, the huge upgrade in square footage (from 8,300 to about 15,500) has been a blessing, said Taylor.
"It's just exciting for us to have this much space."
Mission Thrift Store is a Christian-based non-profit with almost 50 stores across Canada.
The net proceeds of all sales are sent to their joint ministry with Bible League Canada to fund international programs in over 40 countries worldwide.
The Ponoka store alone works with 33 different local agencies to help provide for those in need, whether that's donating clothing or bedding to local churches and shelters or providing furniture for people fleeing domestic violence and starting their lives over.
