Local couple opens Socastee thrift store Black Friday. It will support an important cause
A new thrift store will open in Socastee on Black Friday, with part of the proceeds supporting a nonprofit that helps pair amputees with prosthetics.
J&P Treasures, located at 4987 Socastee Blvd., will sell used items, including clothing, furniture, decorations and house goods.
Husband and wife Jose and Patricia Gonzalez are the owners. Patricia said Jose got the idea to open a thrift store after he had his leg amputated below the knee in 2021.
The operation changed their lives drastically.
Jose lost his job and spent months mourning the loss of his leg and learning to live without it. He didn’t know what he wanted to do next, but knew he wanted to help others.
“Once he was ready I said, ‘What would you like to do? Do you think you can get back to the community?,’” Patricia said. “And he said, ‘You know what, why don’t we open up a thrift store?’”
They started in January of this year with a trailer and collected donations from people around them, Patricia said. After posting about it online, it blew up. So they began looking for a brick-and-mortar store, which they found in Socastee.
Jose also knew he wanted to give back to other amputees and decided to work with Limbs for Life. The nonprofit accepts and redistributes used prosthetics, as well as helps people pay for needed artificial limbs.
Patricia said they’ll donate a percentage of their proceeds to the organization, although they are unsure how much yet. They’ll also accept used prosthetics to mail to Limbs for Life.
Another way they want to give back is by providing supplies to those in need. For example, if someone needs a walker or a shower chair and the store has one, Patricia said she would give it to them for free. Jose also hopes to start an amputee support group.
To prepare for opening, Patricia and Jose have been donating supplies from their house, building a collection from yard sales and accepting items from others.
“The thrift store means to me: help. Help for everybody, for every amputee, any homeless person that’s out there that it’s in need,” Jose said. “That’s what it means to me.”
The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and closed Monday and Tuesday.
This story was originally published November 23, 2023 at 11:43 AM.
