Sad! Favorite Heritage Lubbock Thrift Store Has Closed Permanently

A Lubbock thrift store that served our community for over 50 years has closed permanently, a loss that I take personally. Most of my favorite thrift finds, including my 1950s Formica dining set, were found there. I have shopped there since junior high for eclectic clothing,  housewares, furniture, and more.

Lubbock Disabled American Veteran's Thrift Store, located at 13th and Buddy Holly, stood alone in its antique red building, an island of great thrift finds in a sea of not much else. If memory serves correctly, it's surrounded mostly by parking lots that stay empty most times. It's a part of downtown that has yet to feel much of the "revitalization" that we all want and that many have worked to achieve.

So, why did it close? 

According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, it simply wasn't making money post- the COVID-19 pandemic, a reason so ubiquitous as to make one weary to read it yet again.

just like many other mom and pop shops, COVID has forced its doors to close for good.

Of course, this isn't just a loss for me, the avid thrifter. It's a loss to the proprietor David Butts, and it is a loss to the Disable Veterans who benefited from the proceeds. However, with no proceeds, there's no point, and thus the closure.

It's pretty upsetting that even thrifting isn't exactly affordable these days, and the loss of good thrift shops just hurts. We haven't had Savers for years, and now we have lost another large thrift store. Luckily we do still have Goodwill, American Council for the Blind, Lubbock Habitat For Humanity, and a few others to fill the gap.

Thank you to Cody Swackhammer for these pictures of the now-closed DAV.