Since Palmer Home was established nearly 125 years ago and built on 110 acres in south Columbus in 1898, the faith-based organization has maintained a presence in the Golden Triangle.
But in 2019, the organization relocated the children housed at its residential Columbus campus to its Hernando campus just south of Memphis, Tennessee. At that time, the organization maintained administrative offices in Columbus.
But Palmer Home CEO Drake Bassett told The Dispatch Friday that the bulk of those also moved to Hernando in 2022, when the organization opened the Dr. Hugh Francis, Jr. wellness center.
Still, some personnel operate out of Columbus, Bassett said, and two thrift stores bearing the organization’s name have remained in the area – one in Starkville and one in Columbus.
So, who owns and operates the Palmer Home thrift stores now? Do the stores contribute to the organization’s mission? And how do the thrift stores do that?
Who owns and operates the Palmer Home thrift stores?
Simply put, Palmer Home.
“We have run those thrift stores for at least 25 years, both in Starkville and in Columbus,” Bassett said. “And we still own the thrift stores. We still operate the thrift stores.”
Even though Palmer Home has shifted its operation over the past few years – expanding its mission beyond a residential program housing children who cannot live with their parents or other family to include other programs caring for children and young adults – Bassett said it is still important to Palmer Home to have a presence in the Golden Triangle for a few reasons.
One, of course, is honoring the organization’s history in the area. But another is keeping Palmer Home’s mission on people’s minds. The thrift stores help Palmer Home do both, Bassett said.
“We see it as a great extension into the community, and we’re happy, especially in Columbus, that the Palmer Home name is present,” he said.
Do the thrift stores support the organization’s mission?
Bassett said the net proceeds from Palmer Home thrift stores go toward the Palmer Home mission. And that mission has grown a lot in the past 10 years.
This calendar year, Bassett said, Palmer Home served 325 children in its programs, a number that has risen from less than 100 a decade ago.
“The thrift stores play a part of that because we’re able to use the proceeds for staff and for clothing and for things the children need,” he said.
While the proceeds from the thrift stores are helpful, the staff at each thrift store also help with spreading the word about Palmer Home, for those that have not heard of the organization before, Bassett said.
“We spend time talking to our (thrift store) staff about the mission,” he said. “… I’m always glad when people ask, that they’re able to get information about Palmer Home if they want it. And that’s important to us.”
Finally, the thrift stores provide a more affordable place to shop for area residents, Bassett said, as Palmer Home tries to make prices both competitive and helpful, if possible.
“The thrift store, for some people, it’s a fun shop,” Bassett said. “Like ‘hey, let’s go see what’s going on there.’ For other people, it’s a much needed place for essentials. And we are happy, in a way, to be connected to the community that needs that.”
How do the Palmer Home thrift stores work?
Palmer Home thrift stores accept donations of “gently used” items like furniture and clothing, according to Palmer Home’s website. The stores cannot accept stained or soiled items, non-working electronics or appliances, pianos or pool tables, used mattresses, console TVs and more. Gifts to Palmer Home Thrift Stores are eligible for tax deductions.
Items are then cleaned, treated and displayed for purchase in the stores. Shoppers purchase the items, with all the net proceeds going to Palmer Home programs.
What doesn’t make it on the shelves or the racks, Bassett said, often gets bundled and sent to other places that may be able to use it.
“When people come over there and donate, that’s a big deal to us,” Bassett said. “That really helps us. I want to thank people for really contributing to the mission, when they gift and purchase there.”
The Columbus thrift store is located at 2608 S Main St. The Starkville location is in the Village Mall Shopping Center at 442 MS-12. Both locations are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
