Hillcrest Clearance Outlet: Not like any other store in town
In nearly every community in America, a thrift store can be found working hard to raise money to serve a segment of the community in need. Through the hard work of staff, the faithfulness of shoppers and the generosity of the donors, funds are gathered and used to truly change lives.
The Historical Hillcrest Way
This method of fundraising has served Hillcrest well, and through the efforts of our South Platte and Platte City locations funds have been raised and used to massively impact families in great need. It would not be a stretch to say that family trees are forever changed by what happens at Hillcrest.
As much good as thrift stores do in terms of fundraising, they also serve a secondary ministry opportunity in offering low-priced goods to shoppers. People from all walks of life can come to grab amazing bargains. Some are searching for treasures. Some are searching for memories of the past. And some are simply trying to get by, and are thrifting in order to stretch a meager budget as far as it can go. Though this is a secondary ministry, for those who need it, the lower-cost goods can be lifesaving blessings.
A Different Focus
At the Hillcrest Clearance Outlet, our heart is to lean heavily on this second ministry opportunity. While our two primary locations go about the business of raising funds to support our housing programs, the Clearance Outlet exists to serve our community by offering goods at the very lowest price point possible. Sadly, for many families, even thrift store pricing is too high, and the budget is too tight, but here they can find amazing deals that will fit even the smallest of budgets. We are also able to work with our housing clients, and families in desperate need from other partner ministries to provide clothing and furniture at an extremely low cost (or free).
In short, our heart is not to be just another thrift store that supports a ministry. We are here to be the ministry.
- We are here to help families stretch the budget a little further.
- We are here to help parents more affordably cloth their children.
- We are here for people to cheaply furnish their homes.
- We are even here to pray with and cry along the way.
Whether a family is desperately poor and needing things as cheap as humanly possible, or the family is simply looking to make the budget go further, we are here.
A Team Effort
This amazing task, of providing the lowest cost goods in the city, while still making enough to keep the lights on and the landlord happy makes for a great deal of work. At $2 per adult clothing item, $1 for children’s clothing, couches for as low as $10, and many other items four for a dollar, a large number of items have to pass through our store just to meet demand. Because of this, our lifeblood is groups volunteering together here at the outlet. Through the help of church groups, or workgroups, or simply friends getting together to serve for a few hours together, we are able to do what we do for the community. We also host events such as the “Pack the Rack” which offers a chance to serve for anyone who would like to help to come together from 9-12 on the second Saturday each month.
We would love for you to be a part of what God is doing here at the Outlet. Schedule a group to come with, or join one of our existing volunteer events!
Stay in the Know
Want to keep up on all that is going on at the Clearance Outlet? Make sure to follow us on Facebook at the Hillcrest Clearance Outlet page. There you will see all of our sales and events, and can find information on our Pack The Rack service days and other volunteer opportunities!
Jacob Willard has worked with Hillcrest Platte County for the past 2 years, combining his love for both people and thrifting. When not working with Hillcrest Jacob loves spending time with his family, running, bowling, and writing. He also dreams of having the world’s largest manual typewriter collection.
