Local thrift store and coffee shop opening in new location
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IDAHO FALLS – If you’re looking for a place to get discounted gifts ahead of the holiday shopping season, Watersprings Thrift and Greenhouse Coffee may be a place you want to visit.
The new thrift store and coffee shop is opening a new location on 17th Street in Idaho Falls Saturday, and you’re invited to the grand opening celebration.
It’s located behind Pier One Imports in the building formerly occupied by Book City.
Watersprings Thrift is a nonprofit store offering new and used items donated by members of the community, similar to Goodwill and Deseret Industries.
“Our desire is to provide the basic needs of the community at affordable prices,” General Manager Tami Darfler tells EastIdahoNews.com. “People can recycle items they no longer need and it benefits those who do need them.”
The store has a wide selection of inventory that includes everything from furniture and home decor and other household items to books, clothing, electronics, toys, and more.
Like other similar thrift stores, the store helps provide employment for members of the community and all the money made from purchases is used to support Watersprings Church community outreach programs.
“We exist as a place where people can help their environment and help their community,” Darfler says.
But the difference between Goodwill, Deseret Industries and Watersprings is that those businesses are corporate and Watersprings is not, Darfler says.
“The Goodwill and D.I. are corporate conglomerates that can order their items and have trucks that come in everyday that provide their merchandise, new and used,” she says. “We rely solely on our community’s donations.”
Greenhouse Coffee is opening in the same building as the thrift store, but it’s a completely separate business. Darfler says the goal of the coffee shop is to provide an authentic coffee culture. It will offer hand-crafted espresso drinks, smoothies, Italian soda, and fresh-baked goods like muffins, cookies, cake, and cinnamon rolls.
The menu also includes breakfast and lunch items. The breakfast menu includes Pennine, burritos, and oatmeal. Lunch items include Ham and Cheese Pennine, Pastrami Pennine, flatbread pizzas and other daily specials.
Watersprings Thrift and Greenhouse Coffee opened for business eight years ago at 685 First Street next to Jones Sew and Vac, but Darfler says they were looking for a place that would more adequately fulfill the needs of the community.
“The First Street (location) was dying. The cry of the community was to be more centrally located,” she says. “In our old facility, we had stairs and it was an old, dilapidated building with a dysfunctional parking lot. For those reasons, we relocated.”
Darfler is inviting you to come see the new store during their grand opening celebration. A ribbon-cutting will begin the celebration at 1 p.m. Revelation Radio, a local Christain radio station, will be hosting the event.
Guests are encouraged to bring the entire family to check out and take advantage of free merchandise, hidden items, balloon art, and face painting, as well as coffee, drinks and food specials. You can enter a drawing to win free coffee for a year.
The celebration will go until 4 p.m.
Watersprings Thrift and Greenhouse Coffee are at 2299 East 17th Street. The hours of operation for the thrift store are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Greenhouse Coffee is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
If you live in Idaho Falls or surrounding communities, thrift store employees will pick up your items for free at your house. To donate or learn more, call (208) 523-3958.