- November 9, 2025
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The Lord's Warehouse is currently the largest center for second-hand goods on Longboat Key, but that is set to change soon, and leaders are looking ahead to what the future may hold.
Visitors to the local thrift shop may encounter a homey atmosphere among the stacks of books, winding racks of clothing, collections of kitchenware and other household items, and rows of furniture.
That's no coincidence, according to senior manager Valarie Evanko. She said the little green house next to Longboat Island Chapel was originally built as a private residence in the 1980s. The thrift shop had humble beginnings as a simple card table and cash register setup where community members could pick up gently used items as needed.
Fast forward to 1996, when she said the thrift shop opened in its current location.
Now, the second-hand shop has grown its mission beyond even Longboat Key's borders.
Organizers take in donations from community members and rotate new items into the stock. After items remain on the shelves for a set amount of time, staff mark down the prices until they either sell or can be of use to local charitable organizations like Palmetto's Mt. Carmel Community Resource Center.
"We're a 501(c)(3), and all of the money from our donations stays local," she said, also noting that none of the staff positions are paid.
Goodwill Manasota President & CEO Donn Githens recently announced plans to open the key's first Goodwill location by the end of the year. The new location is set to include a donation drop-off site and public bookstore.
Evanko, who has worked with the thrift store for about two years, noted the Goodwill site at 3150 Gulf of Mexico Drive is centrally located on Longboat Key, whereas the Lord's Warehouse is on the north end.
She shared her hope that both organizations will be able to work in harmony. But she does have some trepidation about dwindling donations.
"We're doing everything we can to mitigate the impact on us," Evanko said.
She said the thrift store has been especially busy this year as residents sought to refill their homes after rebuilding from last year's hurricanes. Furniture in particular has been flying out nearly as quickly as it is dropped off, Evanko said.
"We had a lot of people who lost everything, so they've been coming in and doing a lot of shopping," she added.
The thrift store sustained significant damage as well, but team members worked to clear out the water damage and refurbish stock. They celebrated their official reopening in February.
Iris White, thrift shop daily manager and board of trustees president, said, "We were able to work together, and in the wider community. I took a picture of the line out the door [on reopening day.]"
"We've had a lot of shoppers since reopening, and sometimes we even run low on donations," Evanko added.
White said the thrift store has offered residents items to fill their homes, but also a valuable place for people to socialize and rebuild community ties after the storms.
When announcing the new location, Githens said he hopes to work collaboratively with existing donation-based groups.
“Goodwill Manasota has a long history of partnering with other nonprofits in our community,” he said. “We have a model that is 123 years old for the collection, production and sale of donated good to fund our mission programs, and some of those mission programs are to help other nonprofits in the community, and we’re always looking for new partners.”
Evanko said the thrift shop always welcomes extra hands to help with sorting, particularly during the summer. Call 941-383-4738 with questions.
