Something New at The Bargain Basket

There’s something a different about The Bargain Basket and it’s a game changer for the long-time Marco Island thrift shop.

No, it’s not something found in the merchandise, but rather the setting where those items are displayed. The store recently celebrated the grand opening for an update to that “setting,” a new addition which adds 230 square feet of floor space.

Opened in 1975, The Bargain Basket is a ministry arm of the United Church of Marco Island. Proceeds are used to further advance the church’s ministry to support its local and national ministry partners.

“Today, we celebrated not just the expansion of our store, but the expansion of our ministry and mission in our community, and we want to thank everyone who makes this store possible: our donors, our volunteers, our hardworking staff and of course, everyone who shops here,” said the Rev. Mark Williams, senior pastor at the United Church of Marco Island.

Samantha Kopren, The Bargain Basket’s manager, said she and the store’s volunteer staff refer to the new space as “our accessory floor.

“The idea with moving the jewelry there is it makes it easier for customers to access it,” she added. “It used to be at the front cash registers, so the cashiers would have to stop what they were doing, then show the jewelry, then ring someone up and then come back to that customer. Now, it’s just so much more customer friendly and if someone comes in asking for shoes, we can direct them right in there, instead of to 10 different places.”

Included in the expansion is the addition of five parking spaces behind the building, along Herb Savage Way.

Williams said the addition will provide a boost to the church’s work in the community.

“The additional retail space gives us to opportunity to sell more merchandise and the more we sell here at The Bargain Basket, the more we get to contribute to organizations and people in need,” he said. “And the expansion of our parking behind the building is something that’s going to be a great blessing to our shoppers and our volunteers. They city has done such a nice job of working with us toward a solution to our parking needs and we couldn’t be more pleased.”

The Bargain Basket is located at 750 Bald Eagle Drive. For more information, visit ucmarco.org/the-bargain-basket or call 239-394-6640.