Friends of Sinners, T&T Vendors Mall partner on store

Last month, Gifted Thrift, a business owned by Angel and Joe Welsh, opened at 1706 J.R. Miller Blvd.

They are the executive directors of the nonprofits My Sister’s Keeper, an emergency homeless shelter for women and children, and Friends of Sinners, a Christ-based recovery program.

And the store helps finance their mission.

This month, Gifted Thrift opened a second store in the back of T&T Vendors Mall, 601 Commerce Drive, which many people still think of as the former Rural King location.

Tim Bowles and Tracey Keene opened the 50,000-square-foot vendors mall in 2020.

Keene said he had never heard of Friends of Sinners until Welsh first approached him about space.

“But I did a lot of research,” he said. “They’re really good for their clients and for the community.”

So, Keene turned over the 7,700-square-foot back room of the store to the organization, with enough room for 50 to 60 booths.

In return, Friends of Sinners is helping the store with marketing and social media to attract more vendors.

That location of Gifted Thrift has a big sign saying, “Exit 5B,” above the door.

It doesn’t mean anything, Welsh said.

It’s just so shoppers will know where to go.

Welsh estimates that there are 10,000 or so items for sale, when clothes are included.

Merchandise there is less expensive than at the main store.

All clothes, for example, are marked $3 each.

Furniture is also priced low.

The money raised goes for such things as helping someone in need get an apartment or to furnish an apartment.

Some of them are alumni of the two programs the Welsh family operate.

Welsh said gift cards are available for people to give to someone in need.

He said a majority of Friends of Sinners’ clients are helping out with the store.

Welsh said they are also available to help other people set up their booths in the vendors mall.

Before moving everything into the back room, he said, the two organizations had 15 booths scattered throughout the mall.

It’s easier to have them all in one place, Welsh said.

“This is a huge deal for us,” he said.

“It’s a blessing,” Keene said.