Joseph's Coat Thrift Store to Close in July

After a little more than a year in Annandale, the Joseph’s Coat Thrift Store, located 7219 Columbia Pike, will close in July.

Inconsistent low sales are primarily to blame for the decision to close the store the store for good.

“We’ve had some wonderful donations come in, but we're in a tough economy, especially for the retail environment. Unfortunately, starting over in a new location, we didn't establish a solid customer base that would support keeping the store open,” said Catherine Hassinger, Executive Director for Bethany House of Northern Virginia, Inc. (BHNV). Joseph’s Coat is a subsidiary of BHNV.

Hassinger did not offer a closing date, but said the store will close at the end of July.

The store relocated to Annandale in April 2012 after the Falls Church shopping center where the store operated for 18 years was demolished. The Annandale store is the only Joseph’s Coat location. Now that it’s closing, it is unclear if BHNV will open a similar store elsewhere in the area. 

Joseph’s Coat is currently holding a clearance sale with marked down prices on every item in store. The sale will continue until all items are gone. The clearance sale prices will be decrease weekly until the store’s final day.

“We would love to say goodbye to our customers and help our neighbors find some great deals before we shut our doors. Hopefully people will be able to find some things they like. Everything has to go; all of the inventory, fixtures, shelves, all of it,” said Hassinger.

The entire inventory in the store comes from clothing, shoes, furniture, collectibles, housewares and other donations. The store stopped accepting donations earlier this month.

Hassinger stressed that even though 100 percent of the proceeds from the store support BHNV, the store’s closure will not affect the emergency shelters the organization runs for victims of domestic violence.