HUNTINGTON BEACH : Bargains in Store for Thrift Seekers

The Salvation Army will open its 16th Orange County thrift store here Saturday.

“We have everything,� said Maj. Oliver Stenvick, administrator of the Salvation Army’s Orange County Adult Rehabilitation Center. “You never know what’s going to be put out. It’s not predictable like a normal store.�

Books, bar stools, a portable fireplace, TVs, sofas and wine racks are among bargains to be found at the new store at 17362 Beach Blvd.

At least 300 people are expected to be lined up for the store’s grand opening at 10 a.m. Saturday, Stenvick said.

Store hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The store will also be open this Sunday as part of the grand opening.

Thrift stores benefit the Adult Rehabilitation Center in Anaheim, which offers a six-month residential program for men trying to overcome alcoholism or other substance abuse.

The rehabilitation program, which includes counseling and therapy, serves about 400 men a year, with 140 in the program at a time.

“We do not charge,� Stenvick said. “Those who come to us have lost all their resources through abuse. When they come to us, they need help without having to pay.�

Community donations are vital to the survival of the thrift stores and the rehabilitation program, Stenvick said. Although the new store is stocked for the grand opening, donations of goods and clothing are always needed: “We have to scratch all the time.�

Stenvick said 30 trucks make pickups at homes and businesses across the county. There are also 10 donation trailers in the county, one of them at the Huntington Beach store. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.