CommunityWorx will be closing its Chapel Hill thrift shop in the coming days to prepare for a shift to an online shopping presence and expanded hours at its Carrboro location.

The local nonprofit shared a release with the news, saying donations at the CommunityWorx location in Village Plaza off Elliott Road will be closing by mid-December. The last days for donations at that particular shop will be Sunday, November 29.

The change comes as CommunityWorx is pivoting to creating an online thrift shop for community members, a move the nonprofit hopes will further its work supporting families impacted by racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps. The shop, which is on track to launch by December, will offer “high end and unique merchandise,” said the release.

“Our first priority in all of this has always been our team members”, said President and CEO Barbara Jessie-Black in a statement with the news. “The long-term sustainability of our organization is dependent on the well-being of our team members.”

According to the nonprofit, no workers at the Chapel Hill location will be losing their positions, with everyone being retained and transferred to the Carrboro location. CommunityWorx says with one store, the thrift shop will now move to being open daily and there is potential for future job creation with the online shop. The organization’s release also said merchandise in the stores will be prepared and stocked nightly to ensure turnover of inventory for shoppers each day.

CommunityWorx, which was known as the PTA Thrift Shop until 2019, has had the thrift shop in Village Plaza since 1981. The nonprofit sad its Board of Director has been working closely with Regency Centers Management to arrive at an amicable agreement for the end of its lease in the shopping center.

Both thrift shops reopened this summer after a period of closure out of precaution due to COVID-19. The stores implemented ways to protect the health of staff and customers, but CommunityWorx said the pandemic has increased its need to distribute donated merchandise to those who need it most. The nonprofit said its partnerships with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, the Inter Faith Council, the Compass Center and other community organizations have strengthened through the process.

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