By Mike Hazlip—
A discount wholesale business that opened in the former Smart and Final building has changed its name from Charity Shop to The Discount Store.
The business opened in July of 2021 offering discounted merchandise from big box retailers such as Lowe’s Home Depot, Target, Ashley Furniture, and Cost Plus World Market, according to a previous report by The Sentinel.
Owner Mike Scott told The Sentinel in an email last week that he started the business with his wife, initially working the business part-time while also operating a residential construction business. When the pandemic hit, the wholesale business took off, he said.
The original Charity Shop is still the parent company, Scott said, with the original goal of earning extra income and providing an avenue to donate goods to various charities. Customers were confused with the name however, prompting the re-brand.
“I think a lot of people saw our business or thought we were like a Goodwill,” Scott said. “So we ran into some challenges of people constantly wanting to drop donations off, assuming that all the merchandise we received we got for free.”
Citrus Heights is the second location for the business, and Scott says he’s built up a customer base that is helping the business while the Citrus Grove shopping center remains without a retail anchor tenant. A new online auction service is also helping to maintain revenue, he said. Auctions are every Friday through Sunday, and customers can pick up their items in the store.
“[W]e’re definitely excited about the future and continuing to grow,” Scott said.
The Citrus Grove shopping center on the 8400 block of Auburn Boulevard has seen several new businesses open in recent years, although little progress is being made on a theater reportedly invested in occupying the building abandoned by Studio Movie Grill, according to previous reports by The Sentinel.
