When Tropical Depression Imelda hit Montgomery County on Sept. 19, it flooded Angelic Resale on West Davis Street, the storefront for New Life Women’s Center, with 4 to 6 inches of water. The store shut down for three days and was initially losing about $2,800 a day in sales, center Executive Director Dottie Compton said.
Profits from Angelic Resale, a thrift store, fund 50% of costs for New Life Women’s Center, an addiction treatment center in Montgomery County. The yearlong residential program relies on donations to fund its remaining expenses.
“When [Angelic Resale] closes, even for a short period of time ... it’s so important [to get it operational] so we can continue to serve,” said Lisa Niederberger, the public relations director for the center.
As of late October, Angelic Resale is still being rebuilt, and staff is eyeing Thanksgiving as the date to be fully operational. Staff is in the process of having sheetrock and flooring replaced across the entire 21,000-square-foot building, and the store is only partially operational—losing about $1,200-$1,500 a day in sales, Compton said.
“We are tightening our belt all the way around,” Compton said. “We were fortunate enough to have a bit of a cushion. It’s pretty much eating away at our cushion every day.”
Once the sheetrock is stripped and the flooring is replaced, the next step is to move back all of the furniture and items in the store, Compton said.
“Right now, we have a major section of [the store] cleared off because that’s where they are working on the flooring,” she said. “But as soon as they are done with that we can start moving everything that is piled up in the middle of the floor and trying to spread it out.”
Community members have come together to assist with the store’s recovery, including with manual labor as well as on the financial side, Niederberger said. The store’s landlord is covering the cost for the sheetrock, and The Ark Church in Conroe donated $20,000 to assist with recovery, Compton said. Angelic Resale has also been awarded a $10,000 grant from Texas Mutual.
In other news, New Life Women’s Center is also expanding to a new building that will house 32 beds compared to its current 12. The new building is expected to open in January.
