[Nfbmo] [MALWARE FREE]Blind council's thrift shop closes during transition

[Horchem Gary]

>From Saturdays Springfield News Leader

"When Bob and Patty Neal pulled up to the New Image Thrift Store on West Kearney Street on Friday afternoon, they were disappointed to find the store closed.
"I like the store," Patty Neal said. "Especially because it is a charity."
The store was nearly emptied, and a sign on the door announced that it was closed, to reopen at a new location soon. The sign went up Thursday.
That new site is only a few blocks north in the Town & Country Shopping Center on Kansas Expressway, and the Missouri Council of the Blind, which owns the thrift store, hopes to open Dec. 1, according to William Hawkins, treasurer of the council and chair of the thrift store committee.
The council closed the store after breaking off its relationship with Henderson Management, which has managed the store under one of its affiliates for the past 22 years.
"The relationship is pretty much dissolved," said John Simsheuser with Henderson Management. Simsheuser is overseeing the closure.
Hawkins said the inventory has been put into storage and will be moved to the new location next week. The council has temporarily stopped accepting donations.
A plan to meet with the employees at the store was put on hold until their relationship with Henderson is severed, Hawkins said.
Hawkins had indicated that the council hopes to hire those employees, if possible.
The new location for the store is much larger than its former location, with 17,000 square feet, including warehouse space, said Ross Murray, vice president of R.B. Murray Company, which is handling the lease with Jared Enterprises.
Located in the former Town and Country Cinema, the thrift store will utilize the majority of the facility, while a Five Guys Burgers and Fries will move into the former lobby area, Murray said.
Some work is being done to the facility to accommodate both businesses, he said. "Mr. (Curtis) Jared is doing everything he can to help the Missouri Council of the Blind."
Hawkins said the new location will be more functional and economical, and the council itself will manage the business, which is the primary source of income for the organization.
The Council of the Blind provides a variety of services for people across the state who have visual impairments. The council has two affiliates in the area, the Springfield and the Queen City service clubs."
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