Thrift Store closes

WAGAP Thrift Store closes permanently
Cost savings needed for other essential programs

Bingen, WA (July 16, 2025) –It is the end of an era for Second Hand Rose, the community thrift store in Bingen operated by Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP). The store, which was already undergoing a remodel to downsize, has officially received notice from the WAGAP Board of Directors, which voted unanimously in June to permanently close the space.

For decades, the store has operated as a front display for the Community Action Agency at 115 West Steuben Street. Open to the public, it provided a convenient and low-cost shopping alternative for gently used clothing and household items. However, the primary mission was to provide a dignified shopping experience for WAGAP's low-income clients, and those in need were offered vouchers to select items at no cost.

Jennifer Pauletto, WAGAP’s executive director, said the decision wasn’t easy. “Before renovations, the store was struggling to break even, and with an even smaller footprint and increased operational costs, income was expected to diminish even further.”

She explained that, in the current budgetary climate, the Community Service Block Grant at both the federal and state levels is at risk of not being continued. “To prevent additional cuts to essential programs like the Food Bank Network and Community Youth Center, we had to find cost savings in other areas.”

Remodeling was part of a larger restructuring of the main WAGAP office to accommodate more staff offices to better serve clients. The decision to close the store means that WAGAP is turning over the space to the landlord for other business opportunities. The two street-facing window areas, which housed both Second Hand Rose and Programs for Peaceful Living, will revert to retail space while the office spaces located behind them are being reconfigured.

WAGAP will continue to use the pre-existing doorway, which will lead to its lobby, Pauletto said. The organization will share the entrance area with the new retail spaces, and she expects the transition to go smoothly.

Essential items will continue to reach clients in need through a lending closet that has already been successfully in use during the remodel and has been utilized in the Goldendale and Stevenson offices for years as a proven, effective, and efficient resource. Pauletto credits staff for working hard to minimize the impact on the families and individuals who are dealing with stressful and sometimes emergent situations, which lead them to connect with food banks, housing and energy assistance programs, Community Health Workers, and Programs for Peaceful Living, the domestic violence and sexual assault programs offering crisis support.

“We didn’t lose any staff due to this decision. Thankfully, we were able to reassign them to other programs with different funding streams,” Pauletto said. “Although it was a difficult decision, the Second Hand Rose closure will support WAGAP’s financial stability and fiscal responsibility.”