Jesus Cares thrift store reopens in Selmer
SELMER, Tenn. — A thrift store that was severely damaged due to the April tornado in Selmer is back in action.
The tornado that came through Selmer and McNairy County earlier this year did extreme amounts of damage to many buildings in the area, including the Jesus Cares thrift store near downtown.
We were able to speak with the people involved about exactly what happened that day.
“A tornado came through and it pretty much wiped out our store and a lot of our community,” said Mary Jo Comes, store manager.
But now they are back. Tuesday, they were able to reopen right down the road. It is a new building, but it is the same people with the same mission.
Mary Jo told us it has been a long time coming and they are super excited, and it was a lot of hard work to get this back running.
“First we had to secure a building,” Comes said. “We had to move everything and clean everything. Of course, we lost a lot, so then we had to rebuild. Luckily, I have the best volunteers in the world. They have stood beside me. They have worked tirelessly.”
This place and this nonprofit means a lot to the people of Selmer and McNairy County, as they do a lot of good work.
Mary Jo told us the emotion that everyone is feeling today as they opened the doors.
“We’re so excited. We’ve been waiting for this day,” Comes said. “We’ve had so many setbacks. Today is like an Independence Day for us because we are getting back to where we were before. We’re getting back with our friends, our families, our communities that we love so much.”
Mary Jo says that everything in the store is donated and the best way that you can help out, is by showing up and shopping with them.
Their new location is 399 Mulberry Avenue. They are open from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
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