The Wakulla Senior Center's thrift store in Sopchoppy is at risk of shutting down because the nonprofit can no longer afford the rent and utilities for the building.
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Wakulla Senior Center asks Sopchoppy to restore free rent to save its decades-old thrift storeAt Tuesday's city council meeting, the senior center asked the City of Sopchoppy to look into restoring the in-kind donation of the building, as the city had done in some capacity for decades.
The center has operated the thrift store in Sopchoppy for decades, and for most of that time the city let the organization use the building at no charge as an in-kind donation. That changed in November 2025, when the city started charging the center rent and utilities for the store costs that have totaled about $11,000 since then.
According to the center's financial report, the organization is paying more than $1,000 a month on average in rent and utilities.
The money the thrift store raises supports various programs at the senior center, including Meals on Wheels, transportation and other services.
"Now it's become detrimental to the profits of the thrift store, which means that there's no additional funding coming into the senior center," Lara Edwards, Wakulla Senior Center Executive Director, said.
"We're losing money, which we can't do because, you know, we're a 501c3 nonprofit, and so with all the bills, we're coming out in the negative, meaning nothing goes back to the senior center," Edwards said.
Deborah Van Horn, thrift store director, said the funds cover essential offerings.
"Pays for meals, you know, some transportation, the arts and crafts, the different services that we offer here," Van Horn said.
At Tuesday's meeting, Edwards asked the council to reconsider the organization's lease agreement.
"Why I'm here today is to ask you if we could reorganize, you know, look at our lease agreement, and maybe go back to the rent, at the very least, being in-kind for the thrift store," Edwards said.
While a couple of neighbors spoke in support of helping the thrift store, there was not much discussion about the rent overall. Council members did request that staff get reports on how much the building costs to maintain, and they asked the senior center to bring the numbers showing its net loss. The goal is to reach a resolution that helps everyone involved.
"It's been here since the 1980s, and I don't think anyone in our town, anyone on our board, anyone on our staff wants to see the city thrift store, you know, be moved from Sopchoppy. But at the same time, the world we live in today, it has to be sustainable to a certain extent," Leonard Tartt, city mayor, said.
During the meeting, the city attorney raised the idea of having the electrical company come in and do an audit, because 40% of the store's expenses are electrical.
"That's smaller than my house, and you maybe use twice as much electric," Dan Cox, city attorney, said.
Van Horn said the store hopes to keep serving the area.
"We want to continue to be that lighthouse for the community, and it means all of Wakulla County, not just Sopchoppy," Van Horn said.
The city will review all the numbers before the next meeting to see if there is something it can do. The next council meeting is on November 9th at 6:30 p.m.
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