Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce welcomes new thrift store
Published 8:00 am Thursday, January 13, 2022
- Open for business: Attendees stand together as district manager Jamie Taylor cuts the ribbon. From left to right: GVACC ambassador Rachel Snoddy, Four Corners Ministries employee Angie Jones, Four Corners Ministries employee Holly West, thrift store employee Katie Damiano, Four Corners Ministries financial officer Kimberly Burk, store general manager Angie Ledford, thrift store employee Dixie Hanson, Four Corners Ministries truck driver Dennis Connell, district manager Jamie Taylor, Four Corners Ministries co-founder Jimmy Sprayberry, assistant manager Baylee Bryant, store employee Tonia Mantlo and City of Valley Mayor Pro Tem Jim Jones. Photo by Cole Trahan.
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On Wednesday, Four Corners Thrift Store in Valley and the Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the store joining the community. In attendance were GVACC members, store employees, company employees, City of Valley Mayor Pro Tem Jim Jones and others. The event started inside the store with opening speeches and an invocation by Four Corners Ministries co-founder Jimmy Sprayberry.
“I’m super excited to have this type of business here,” GVACC Executive Director Carrie Royster said. “I believe you’re going to do great. We love to come in and shop, so you’ll see our face probably more than you should.”
Sprayberry said his company was excited to be in the area. He thanked Four Corners District Manager Jamie Taylor for his hard work.
“We hope we’ll be an asset for here and for the people who shop here,” he said.
Jones spoke on behalf of the City of Valley, the mayor and the council.
“We’re very excited about you locating here,” he said. “It’s always great when we open new businesses for our community. We wish you much success, and we hope that you are here for a long time.”
Taylor said the new location was a great opportunity for the Four Corners chain to expand. He said that when he first visited Valley, he saw the sign that said “Where people care and share.”
The new location has been blessed with donations, love and support that proved this slogan to be true, Taylor said.
“And I want to say from the bottom of my heart I appreciate it,” he said. “And I’m so thankful for this community and opportunity to serve here.”
In an interview after the ribbon-cutting, Taylor said the store had a soft opening on Nov. 29, 2021. It currently has seven employees. He said there are two other Four Corners Thrift Stores in Roanoke and Talladega. He said the corporate office is in Opelika.
Inside the store, visitors may notice an abundance of brand new items such as toothbrushes, socks, tissue boxes, hand sanitizing wipes, toys, face masks, lint rollers, blankets and scouring pads.
“About 15 percent of items in the store are purchased items,” Taylor said. “We buy them from a wholesale place. The other 85 percent of items in there are donations from the community.”
Taylor said Four Corners Ministries is a 501(c)(3) company and supports missions in Uganda and South Sudan.
“We have a place called Abaana’s Hope,” he said. “Missionaries there are working as we speak, sharing the gospel.”
Four Corners Ministries also feeds needy people in its target communities, Taylor said.
Taylor said the store tests its electronics before selling them. He said it may sometimes sell broken electronics for parts.
The new store is located at 3312 20th Avenue in Valley. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information on Four Corners Ministries, visit https://www.fourcorners.org.
