Communities In Schools Thrift Store Open In BSL

Head into Boiling Spring Lakes on George II Highway and you will see a series of small businesses dotting the landscape. These are the lifeblood of this small rural community, adjacent to Southport. Hidden among them is the CIS Thrift Shop at 3000 George II Highway, next to the former Newbridge Bank building, currently being remodeled to house the Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department.

The thrift shop has been in operation at this location since 2010, however during COVID the shop struggled to maintain staffing so the store could stay open consistently. Today, the shop is once again fully open and ready to serve Boiling Spring Lakes residents and those from surrounding communities. Executive Director Bonnie Jordan is proud of the shop and its staff for creating a wonderful shopping environment. “The CIS Thrift Shop managers, staff, and volunteers are a dedicated team and take great pride in how the shop is presented to the community. They strive to provide a friendly, fun, and relaxing atmosphere that provides high quality, gently used items at affordable prices. Our team truly enjoys meeting and getting to know both residents and visitors alike,” she said.

When you step into the shop the first things you will notice is how neat, organized, and clean the shop is, along with the quality and variety of merchandise. Friendly staff and volunteers are on hand to greet you and help you find that special item you are seeking. Selections include clothing for both children and adults; toys; books; housewares; linens; holiday items; special occasion dresses and accessories; jewelry; purses; and even furniture. All are reasonably priced and are new or gently used. Dressing rooms are provided, and periodic sales are offered to keep customers coming back in search of bargains.

CIS utilizes a number of volunteers who love spending time supporting the thrift shop. Volunteer Steve Pettit said, "I enjoy repairing and repurposing items that can have a second life rather than a trip to the landfill, plus I love that my time volunteering here benefits the local schools." The shop operates with limited staff so local volunteers work alongside of paid staff to help receive donations and prepare them for the sales floor, create floor displays, provide customer service, keep the sales floor neat and tidy, and assist with special projects. Staff and volunteers share a commitment to raising funds to help support dropout prevention programming for students who attend Brunswick County Schools. Funds raised at the shop are utilized to support and sustain programming at nine local elementary and middle schools, currently serving 500 students.

In addition to periodic sales, regular shoppers can receive a Frequent Shopper card and earn a stamp for every $10 spent in any of the CIS thrift shops. Once the card is filled with stamps, the shopper can redeem it for $10 off the next purchase. The card is good at any of the four CIS thrift shops, located in Boiling Spring Lakes, Southport, Sunset Beach, and Leland. Community members can visit the CIS website www.cisbrunswick.org for shop addresses and like and follow the Facebook page “CIS Thrift Shops at Boiling Spring Lakes, Leland, Southport, & Sunset Beach” to see upcoming sales and new arrivals at the shops. All shops are open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Donations are accepted Monday through Friday at each shop. Volunteer applications and more information is available by stopping in or calling any of the CIS thrift shops.

As Boiling Spring Lakes continues to recover from COVID and gets ready to rebuild its lakes, the CIS Thrift Shop is rebuilding as well and welcomes everyone to stop in, say hello, and check out what it has to offer. They look forward to seeing and serving you soon! The CIS Thrift Shop is a proud member of the Boiling Spring Lakes business community and proud to also serve Boiling Spring Lakes students through the CIS Action for Success Program at South Brunswick Middle School, one of the CIS dropout prevention program sites.