Curt’s Closet prepares for move, eyes February opening in new location

By:
0
1599
The former office of The Link of Cullman County (Photo courtesy of Julie Hall/The Link of Cullman County)

CULLMAN, Ala. – Curt’s Closet Founder Ashley Wilson on Tuesday officially announced that the organization had finished a deal to relocate its nonprofit boutique to a larger location at 1101 Third Ave. SE, the former office of The Link of Cullman County, at the intersection of Third Avenue and 11th Street Southeast. Early last month, the City of Cullman Planning Commission approved Wilson’s conditional use request for the property. 

At that time, Wilson told The Tribune, “We have definitely outgrown where we’re at. We’re all in agreement that we love the location. I love that it used to be a church. It’s in a great location, but we’ve outgrown it, because it’s so amazing.

“So we do have some plans in the works, hopefully, for a bigger building. We hope to announce our vision in that by the end of the year; there’s a lot of planning that goes into that step. I personally, you know, I would love to see it grow maybe in different locations, different counties. Now, that’s a five- or 10-year plan. We’ve got to work out all the kinks here in Cullman first, but, so far, God has seen everything fall into place.

“I would love to start, if we do get a bigger place, I would love to be able to do sporting equipment, because that was a passion of Curt’s, and I know the expense of putting your child into a sport, and the expense of the equipment and even the clothing, the treats. I would love to be able to extend from just the clothing and shoes into sporting equipment.”

This week Wilson shared, “As of right now we do not have a date to be open at our new location. We have numerous renovations under way. Our goal is to be in our new building by February. Once we do move, we do plan to hold an open house, to give the community an opportunity to stop by and see the new building. 

“We are so excited. We outgrew our current location within the first year. Our little church on St. Joseph has served us well. I love the atmosphere and presence that you feel when you walk in the door. I know without a doubt this new location will hold that same presence. Growth is a great thing. The new location will give us opportunities we do not have currently. I think I am most excited about a larger laundry room. Currently, our washer and dryer are in our very small donation room. Most days we cannot get to the washer and dryer, due to the overflowing of donations. Which is a great problem to have. Our new location has a separate laundry room and receiving donation room.”

She continued, “Also, our sorting room, which is where our volunteers spend a great deal of time, will be 10 times bigger. Currently, we can only allow two volunteers at a time, due to limited space. Once we move, we will have enough space for countless volunteers. The volunteers will be able to help in numerous areas rather than just the sorting room. This will be a huge blessing to Curt’s Closet. We cannot operate without our volunteers. 

“One other advantage the new location will hold is to be able to keep larger amounts of donations. This will ensure we have a larger selection, so no child has to leave without an item in their size. Curt’s Closet is always purchasing new jeans, shoes and underwear (the three main items we always are low on); with so much more storage, when we find a deal on these items, we will be able to purchase greater amounts. For the past years Curt’s Closet has had three storage units. This has been a lot of hours and manpower, plus the monthly cost for these units. With a larger building we are going to be able to eliminate all three. 

“I will be honest; change is scary for me. Making such a huge decision to purchase the building and move Curt’s Closet has been scary. But I know without a doubt this is a God thing and was in God’s timing. I am walking in pure Faith. I know this is a great move for Curt’s Closet. A move that is much needed. This new location will help serve the children of our community more efficiently and help us have on hand the items they truly need.”

Get involved now!

Between now and February, business continues for Curt’s Closet. Wilson told The Tribune about a few things the boutique could use.

“Right now, we are low on almost everything, except women’s tops,” she said. “We have seen so many families affected by the pandemic it has been hard to stay ahead of the needs. We are exceptionally low on toddler underwear. We only take new, in the pack, underwear.”

The final word

Wilson concluded, “Thank you to everyone who has helped us grow so much we came to the point of a move to a larger building. The outpouring of support is truly overwhelming. The donations of clothing and shoes we receive daily is a huge blessing and giving us the opportunity to bless countless children. We definitely could not run our ministry without out monetary donations. And of course our volunteers are a must. We appreciate you all!”

Copyright 2020 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

avatar

W.C. Mann

craig@cullmantribune.com