The Salvation Army Family Store on Wabash Avenue will be closing later this month,
but Captain Matt McCluer, corps officer with the Salvation Army of Sangamon County,
said the organization hopes to reopen the store in a new Springfield location.
The thrift store’s last day in business at the 1762 Wabash Ave. location will be Oct. 24.
McCluer said the closing will not affect any of the Salvation Army’s other programs or
services in Springfield.
The Salvation Army now is looking for a new location for the store, McCluer said,
preferably something closer to its main facility at 1600 E. Clear Lake Ave.
“We’re very early in the search,” McCluer said. “We don’t have a timeline or even any
possible locations yet.”
Salvation Army thrift stores typically are operated by the organization’s adult
rehabilitation centers. The Springfield Salvation Army adult rehabilitation center,
previously located on 11th Street, closed in 2020. A second local Salvation Army thrift
store, located adjacent to the adult rehabilitation center, also closed at that time.
With those closings, a St. Louis-based Salvation Army adult rehabilitation center took
over operation of the thrift store on Wabash Avenue. That center has now decided to
close the Springfield store.
“Because of the distance and the revenue of the store, they decided they couldn’t run it
anymore,” McCluer said. “The local Salvation Army recognizes the need for a store in
Springfield, and we are actively pursuing that option.”
The Salvation Army operates social service programs and ministries out of its Clear
Lake Avenue facility including a food pantry, a community center, Sunday worship
services, youth programs and a Pathway of Hope program, which McCluer said is
designed to “help people break the cycle of poverty and gain self-sufficiency.” Outside
programs, such as Meals on Wheels, an SIU Family Medicine clinic, and veterans
programs, also partner with the Salvation Army to operate out of the Clear Lake facility.
McCluer said the Salvation Army will not be accepting donations for the thrift store until
a new location for the store is identified.
“We don’t really have the capacity to accept donations right now, but once we have a
new location secured, we’ll start accepting donations,” he said.