The Salvation Army is giving Blaine another shot. After closing a retail location on University Avenue five years ago, the charity thrift is taking over the former Toys 'R' Us space in the Northtown area.
"We've been looking for a location there for four years," said Tom Canfield, business administrator for the nine Twin Cities Salvation Army thrift stores, including Blaine. "It was a small store with no loading dock, so we closed it when the mall was upgrading."
Most of the 33,000 square feet in the new building will be retail space. The store will be comparable in size to stores in Elk River, Fridley and St. Paul. The Suburban Avenue location that opened in 2016 in St. Paul was the most recent addition to the Salvation Army's retail stores in the Twin Cities.
The store will feature the nonprofit's typical mix of used apparel for men, women and kids and home furnishings, plus a smaller selection of new goods — mostly returned merchandise — from Target, Walmart, Costco and Sam's Club. It will have a drive-through lane for donations and will begin accepting them at the new location on Sept. 1.
The new store will open at 170 89th Av. NE. in November or March, Canfield said, depending on when the landlord completes the buildout for the new tenant.
Proceeds from the stores fund the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis, which provides free or affordable inpatient addiction recovery services for men.
Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity Restore both offer free pickup of donations. Check sites for restrictions.
The Salvation Army Northern Division also operates retail stores in Bloomington, Burnsville, Elk River, Fridley, Hastings, Minneapolis on N. 4th Street and on 38th and Nicollet Avenue, and in St. Paul.
