PORT HADLOCK — A thrift shop managed by Olympic Community Action Programs for 14 years will soon change hands, with the lease and the inventory being transferred to a couple already managing a local business.
On July 1, Courtland Goetz and his wife, Debi Goetz, will take over the OlyCAP Thrift Shop at 10632 Rhody Drive, assuming all of the store’s contents that have not been sold by that time.
The couple has owned and operated Olympic Trading Post, 51 Chimacum Road, since last summer.
Prior to that location, the Olympic Trading Post was located at 2123 West Sims Way in Port Townsend, which is expected to become a recreational marijuana store later this month.
The OlyCAP Thrift Shop, with one full time and one part time paid employee and several volunteers, takes in contributions of clothes, books and household items, processing and pricing them before offering them up for sale.
The Goetzes’ offer to employ current staff was declined, according to OlyCAP Executive Director Geoff Crump.
There is no cost to the Goetzes for the inventory.
“The store is in the black right now,” Crump said.
“But this year we would have made a change in the store no matter what,” he said.
As a result, an OlyCAP board member reached out to the Goetzes to gauge their interest in the store, Crump said.
The Goetzes developed a business plan, which included agreements with Working Image and the YMCA to share resources.
Working Image, located at Mountain View Commons, 1925 Blaine St., supplies low income women with interview clothes that will increase their chances of getting hired.
“Working Image will send us any men’s clothes they take in for free,” Debi Goetz said.
“If a man needs to be dressed, he can come down here, and we will do it for free.”
As part of their current business, the Goetzes operate the OTP Filling Station espresso stand and sell homemade donuts.
They plan to move the espresso stand to the OlyCAP Thrift Shop location and will also serve the donuts, but they will initially make them off-site.
They would like to set up a kitchen on-site but will need health department approval.
While in Port Townsend, the Goetzes lived in an apartment above their store, and currently they have parked a 35-foot motor home at H.J. Carroll Park.
Debbie Goetz said she’d like to grow food in the “pea patch” garden adjacent to the store which will be contributed to the Tri-Area Food Bank.
OlyCAP is paying $1,590 in monthly rent for the space, Crump said.
Debi Goetz said the business was not significantly larger than her current store.
“We took in $82,000 in 2013 in Port Townsend, but much of that was consignments, so the business got a lot less,” she said.
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
