Salvation Army to close Baker City thrift store, keep food bank open

Baker City households that depend on low-cost clothing, household goods and furniture will lose one of the city’s familiar secondhand shopping options when The Salvation Army closes its thrift store at 2505 Broadway St. on May 1. The food bank will stay open, preserving the part of the operation that many Baker County residents rely on for groceries and other basic help.

Major Harold Laubach, division secretary for business for The Salvation Army’s Cascade Division, said the Baker City work will be centered on social services programs after the thrift store closes. That shift includes food boxes, youth summer camps, disaster services and volunteer opportunities. The same address will still house local help, but the mission is moving away from retail and toward direct assistance.

Anne Clark of Baker City said the closure will hurt residents who depend on the store for items they cannot easily afford elsewhere. For families on tight budgets, the thrift store has been more than a place to browse. It has been a source of low-cost clothing, small appliances, books and furniture, goods that can be hard to replace at full retail prices in a small market.

The Salvation Army says it has been active in Baker City since 1897, giving the change added weight in a town where the organization has long been part of the local safety net. Its Baker City location page still lists both a Family Thrift Store and a Baker City Service Unit at 2505 Broadway, showing that the closure affects the retail arm, not the organization’s entire local presence.

The food program that remains is no minor side service. Oregon Food Bank lists the Baker City site as offering free groceries with fresh produce, protein options and dry goods, and says food insecurity affects about 1 in 8 people and 1 in 6 children in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The Baker City pantry is listed as serving primarily Baker County residents, making it one of the county’s key anti-hunger resources as The Salvation Army trims back on retail.