Arc plans new home for Philomath thrift store

PHILOMATH - After more than 35 years on the west side of Philomath, the Arc Thrift Store will be moving to the east end of town late this year after remodeling is finished at its new building.

The Arc of Benton County, which provides services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has purchased the Philomath Plaza building at 110 N. 20th St. The nonprofit organization hopes to start work on renovating and expanding the building by the end of the month, adding 1,000 square feet to the 4,000-square-foot structure.

The work should be finished by November or December, at which time the resale shop will relocate to the new building from its longtime home at 936 Main St.

"We feel really good about it," Arc executive director Diane Scottaline said of the new building. "The traffic count is higher, the parking is much better, the visibility is better ? and it's a much newer building."

Perhaps more important, the new building will have a number of energy efficiency upgrades and the Arc will own the structure outright, which will save the organization an estimated $35,000 a year in rent payments and operational costs.

The cost of purchasing and remodeling the property adds up to about $540,000, Scottaline said. About $300,000 of that money came from the sale of a Corvallis rental house owned by the Arc, with another $82,600 in reserve funds and $2,400 in gifts from board members. The organization also used a $125,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and a $30,000 grant from the Oregon Community Foundation.

Habitat for Humanity is providing volunteer labor for the renovation and expansion project, Scottaline added.

Pediatric Therapy Professionals, the building's current tenant, will be moving out over the weekend. The five-therapist practice will reopen on June 19 in leased space at the Old Mill Center for Children and Families at 1650 S.W. 45th Place in Corvallis.

The Arc of Benton County also has another thrift store at 928 N.W. Beca St. in Corvallis, which underwent a major expansion in 2015.

Both locations generate revenue to support the work of the agency, which currently serves 65 clients and employs 20 people with disabilities.