Lord's Warehouse thrift store reopens on Longboat Key

The Lord's Warehouse didn't reopen until 9 a.m. on Sept. 5, but eager thrift shoppers lined up outside the building starting at around 8:15 a.m., volunteers said. 

The thrift store, which is run by volunteers from the Longboat Island Chapel, opened  for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to a crowd eager to peruse racks and racks of donated items. Initially, volunteers hoped to open the store to the public in July, but as COVID-19 numbers rose in the area, the plan was scrapped. Now, though, the warehouse's reopening is happening just a week ahead of the reopening of the chapel. 

Shoppers had to wear masks and practice social distancing, which included waiting if more than five people wanted to step inside at a time. However, there were plenty of racks to browse outdoors and the warehouse offered more items to inspect than usual, because though the volunteers kept taking donations in, no purchases were going out, volunteer Karen Pashkow said.

For now, the warehouse will be open only from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.