Friends and supporters, Adelante is sad to announce that we are closing our thrift store in Belen and will be re-purposing that building. Our team members from both stores will be consolidating operations in Los Lunas.
We re-opened the Belen Bargain Square, despite years of struggling sales, because we had hopes that the economy and community support would be enough to sustain it. We also felt, as a community resource, that offering low-cost clothing, housewares, and furniture was important in Valencia County.
We have made improvements and worked hard to make the Belen store successful enough to cover its own costs, but we never earned enough in sales to do so. We have also endured several cuts to our funding the last several years.
We are consolidating the Bargain Square locations into one site to help us reduce the operational costs associated with running and stocking a thrift store. Our goal is to retain as many jobs as possible by creating a more sustainable store operation. People with disabilities are too often unemployed in our country, and Adelante is making every effort to help people become successful as part of the new expanded team in Los Lunas. We anticipate nearly everyone will be able to make a successful transition, so you will still see the friendly, familiar faces of people from both stores.
Los Lunas was selected for this single operation primarily because that location has experienced much stronger sales and receives more donations. Adelante is researching options to re-purpose the Belen location. The building will be in use, and we will keep the community posted as this develops.
Adelante’s goal is to make this move as quickly and painlessly as possible, working cooperatively with the individuals and families involved, as well as transportation services and other key partners. Our target date is to close Belen and be in the new location immediately following the Labor Day weekend. A firm closure date is pending because we are making site improvements in Los Lunas and we also want to make sure our employees with disabilities are able to successfully arrange transportation to and from work. Our primary focus is on making this transition as easy as possible for our team members and their families.
Adelante will still have substantial jobs and operations in Belen. We have 10 homes and two day programs, as well as an independent living program. In fact, we have several job openings right now, ir you’re interested. We welcome your ideas for repurposing the Belen store site for other community services or businesses that we or others could operate.
We will continue to support the County Assistance Program and other Belen needs. We trust that the community will continue to support the store team as well as Adelante operations across Valencia County. That will be imperative to keeping the store in operation providing jobs.
Donations of gently used furniture, household items, small electronics, and clothing are greatly appreciated. Pick-ups are available for larger items by calling (505)923-4250.
