By Moses Leos III
It’s been more than a decade since the sounds of expansion took place at the Kyle Thrift Shop.
The familiar sounds of miter saws in action and the hammering of nails made a triumphant return several weeks ago, heralding the start of the store’s $170,000 expansion.
A larger space was necessitated not only by the growth of the area, but the generosity of the city the store serves.
“It’s going to add something to downtown,” Wynette Barton, member of the Friends of the Library, which operates the thrift store, said. “And it’s going to be a lot better store.”
Kyle Thrift Shop opened in 1990 — the year it was built. According to Barton, the Friends of the Kyle Library used funds raised from the thrift store to help the city’s library. Each year it donates approximately $35,000 to the Kyle Library.
In addition, the Friends of the Library also used the store to help those in need. Persons involved in a disaster, such as a house fire, are given vouchers to the store.
The store sold mostly clothes, but soon transitioned to household items, sporting goods and small furniture items.
But the collection of goods soon outgrew the modest building at 100 Lockhart Street. With the help of Jack Johnson, the store underwent its first reconstruction in 2001.
Several years ago, seeing the store was packed to the brim with donated items, the Friends of the Library realized another expansion was necessary.
They started saving to pay for the planning and construction — all of it in cash, according to Barton.
“It was all saved up by nickels and dollars,” she said.
The friends hit a few roadblocks along the way, including securing the necessary permitting from the city. That was a time consuming and stressful process, according to Barton.
The project was submitted to the city in September 2013 and approved that same year. Construction got underway at the start of September 2014.
Frank Hernandez, president of Toltec Construction, said construction is progressing well despite the recent heavy rains.
Barton said the project is slated for completion after Christmas. The exterior will be brick, much like many of the other buildings in the Central Business District.
On the inside, the store will have a 3,300-square-foot retail and storage space.
An employee for the thrift shop said customers are eagerly awaiting the expansion. With the constrained space and plethora of items, she said people have been clamoring for the store to grow.
“Customers are happy that we are expanding,” the employee said. “Everyone is really nice about it. There’s limited parking [right now], but they are happy to walk down here.”
The larger shop was enticing for Kyle resident Joe Negrete, who said his family frequents the store. He anticipates the expansion and understands the store’s assistance to the community.
Ruben Herrera and his mother, who visit the store from time-to-time, agree.
“I think it’s going to be better,” Herrera said.
For Hernandez, who oversaw the store’s construction and expansion, it’s a signal of the community’s growth.
“It’s probably the busiest place in town. It has quite a fluctuation of people going in and out,” Hernandez said. “It serves a real cause and benefit.”
