Bargain Box

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Junior League of Raleigh’s Bargain Box to Close

RALEIGH, N.C. | Oct. 26, 2018: The Junior League of Raleigh announced today it will close its Bargain Box thrift store in Cameron Village by the end of January.

Like many other Junior League-operated thrift stores around the country, the Bargain Box has been faced with declining sales, increased operating costs, changing volunteer availability and more competition in the resale market, including online consignment sites, such as micit. As a result, the Bargain Box is no longer a sustainable business to help support the Junior League’s mission. The Bargain Box will join more than two dozen League thrift stores in closing in recent years, including stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, New Orleans and Orlando.

The Junior League of Raleigh opened the Bargain Box in 1951 in a remodeled house in Cameron Village. By 1955, it outgrew the house and moved to 2104-1/2 Smallwood Drive. In 1994, JLR members voted to sell the Bargain Box and apartments on Smallwood and relocate the Bargain Box to Cameron Village Shopping Center.

Since opening its doors, the Bargain Box has raised more than $1 million for the community and distributed tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of clothes and household goods to those in need. Proceeds from the thrift store over the years have benefited the mission of the Junior League, a nonprofit organization focused on helping at-risk children in Wake County and developing women’s leadership potential through volunteerism.

“The Bargain Box has been a large part of the Junior League of Raleigh’s identity, history and brand,” said Samantha Hatem, President of the Junior League of Raleigh. “The decision to close was a hard one for us. We are grateful to the generations of customers and League members who have supported the store by shopping with us, volunteering with us or donating merchandise to us. It’s because of them that we’ve been able to make such a big impact with Bargain Box in our community.”

The Junior League of Raleigh plans reposition its volunteers to support the League’s other community projects and is studying additional partnership opportunities. Currently, the League supports BackPack Buddies, InterAct, the Brentwood Boys & Girls Club, Helping Horse, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina, StepUp Ministry, SAFEchild and AventWest Children’s Mentoring.

Watch the Bargain Box Facebook page and look for Instagram posts for information on upcoming sales. The Bargain Box will accept donations through Dec. 15.

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About Junior League of Raleigh: The Junior League of Raleigh is a local chapter of the Association of Junior Leagues International, an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The Raleigh League has more than 1,500 active and sustaining members. To learn more about the Junior League of Raleigh, go to jlraleigh.org.