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Molino Thrift Store Ministers To Community, Helps Those In Need
January 21, 2018
At the Molino Outreach Thrift Store, the desire to help others is more important than the bottom line.
“That will be $26. You got 52 items for just $26,” proprietor – and pastor – Jason Lee told a customer Saturday afternoon as he bagged their purchases, including four or five plastic grocery bags full of clothes.
It’s a business model that from business mind standpoint that may not really make sense. But it was the decision of the boss.
Pastor Jason, as he is affectionately known throughout the community, said when the store first opened seven years ago, none of the donated clothes were over $2.99. But the Lord spoke, he said, and three years ago the price of clothes dropped to $1.99, and the store started holding 99 cent clothing sales. And now, all donated clothes are 99 cents — except when he holds 50 cent sales as he did most of the month of December.
That’s the business plan for Pastor Jason….just keep listening to the Lord.
“It’s our ministry, he said. “If we can sell the clothes for 99 cents and let people keep money in their pocket, we are helping them.”
And he’s super serious about following the Lord’s instruction for his pricing. Drop off brand new, high end clothing with the tags still attached, and he’ll still price it 99 cents.
“Recently, we had a woman stop by on the chance that we might have a wedding dress in size 16. At the moment, we didn’t. But guess what got dropped off…a wedding dress that had cost hundreds of dollars new…in a size 16.”
And how much did she pay? Just 99 cents.
Pastor Jason had worked retail as a teen before serving as a Navy corpsman assigned to the Marines. He returned to retail and then medical equipment sales. Just over seven years ago, he would travel Highway 95A on his way to work each day…except one day he happened to head up Highway 29. He noticed a “for rent” sign on the former Grocery Advantage building at Highway 29 and Molino Road.
“The whole way to work and during the day I kept thinking about what would be a good use for the building,” he said. “Things just began to fall in place, and after some serious prayer we opened.”
The Molino Outreach Thrift Store is not an ordinary thrift store that supports a ministry; the store is the ministry.
“We’ve been here through the good times and the bad times for a lot of people,” he said. “As a small church pastor you might see 30 or 40 or 50 people in your congregation on a regular basis. But we see a lot of people in here, and it’s a full time ministry where we are able to reach out to them.”
“This is what the Lord told me as a pastor I could do, using my skills in retail and as a pastor, to really help people. This is like a church. You hear Christian music playing in here like a church, and we will always stop what we are doing to pray with somebody or stop what we are doing to help people. It’s truly an outreach ministry.”
Back to that business model…those 99 cent clothes are not the only thing the store sells. From furniture to household items, to books, toys and electronics, it’s a full selection of thrift store wares along with new items like hair bows, hats, towels and linens….all well below retail. The store has added new furniture and mattresses to their offerings, at substantial savings off regular prices, once again as a blessing to those in the community. It allows many people the chance to purchase items that they might not otherwise be able to afford, while providing a minimal income to keep the ministry moving forward.
“The Lord said the way you are going to help people is helping them keep their money.”
The store has been a blessing to the Molino area in other ways, like their Angel Tree that provided Christmas gifts for 170 children.
“We had about 30 of the kids adopted, but our shoppers allowed us to spend about $3,000 to provide for the other kids,” Pastor Jason said. “It allows the community to help themselves while helping others.”
When asked about that one moment that he found most amazing, Pastor Jason paused behind the register…in front of a picture of Jesus and an American flag….and then began to tell the story.
“It was a Christmas Eve, and we had stayed open a little bit late. A mother and her young son came into the store, and she said she was looking for a Christmas tree.
“That was the one thing the little boy said he wanted most for Christmas was that Christmas tree. We had quite a few trees leading up to Christmas, but they were all gone. We looked all over this place to make sure there was not a tree left somewhere. I had walked back up front, and I was just about to give the girl that worked here money to sneak out the back and over to the Dollar General to see if they had a tree for this little boy. That’s when the mom came up to the front with a tree in her cart that she said she found behind a table leaning against the wall. It was a brand new white tree still in a box.
He paused again, taking a deep breath, rubbing his hands down the chill bumps on his arms.
“Maybe you would not think the Lord could work through a thrift store in Molino, but He can work in amazing ways any where.”
Picture above: Pastor Jason Lee checks out a customer Saturday afternoon at the Molino Outreach Thrift Store, Highway 29 and Molino Road. Pictured below: Daphne Young stocks rack of clothes priced at 99 cents each. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
25 Responses to “Molino Thrift Store Ministers To Community, Helps Those In Need”
I wasn’t aware of this thrift store. I really enjoyed reading this story. To hear all of the wonderful reviews about this place is heartwarming. t would like to drop off items to a place that is trying to make a difference in others lives. What are your hours…what is the best time/day to drop off items?
Very nice story. I’ve never been to this store but I will be donating there from now on.
Pastor Jason and his wife IRENE provide a great ministry through their store..I have even tithed there at times because they are doing what JESUS WANTS US TO
The thrift stores in Atmore & Flomaton benefit the WeCare Program, which is a prison ministry. You might not see 1st hand what the donations/sales go to, but they do help support a great Christian ministry. Their webpage will tell you more about what they do.
As the article said, the Molino thrift store is a ministry in itself. They are doing a wonderful job helping the community.
I personally shop at both & donate to both…
I donated some kitchen appliances I wasn’t using anymore and picked up some dress shirts I needed for work. Good clothes and great deal.
I have talked to this man several times..he is a true hand of God…not like other Christian Thrift Stores.. like in Atmore and. Flomaton…he really wants to help…not take advantage
I also have taken a lot of items to the store. The “last time” I dropped items off at the Water Front Mission about a year ago I looked at the number of large trucks and the warehouse operation and found my self asking how much do they need. That was the last time i was there. I know it takes a lot to operate these stores but feel the molino or the other operation in Atmore run by the mennonites is a much better chose.
AMAZING MISSION! Me and my wife LOVE this store! Thanks so much for your love and mission!
What a great blessing your ministry has been to our community! Thank you.
My family and I have dropped off clothes to this store and shopped there as well. I remember one time I came with a buggy full and it came up to about the same amount that this story has, 20-28 dollars. I thought for sure it was going to be over 50 bucks. Bro.Jason said that if you spend over 50 dollars you’d better bring a truck.
Our message today was talking about listening to the Lord. I’m glad this brother has for all these years and the Lord has blessed.
Praying for the store and the ministry that the Lord has given Bro.Jason.
Late in 2014 my mother passed away and lived in Cantonment. She had an unreal amount of clothes and shoes of which at least 25% still had the original tags on them and were not out dated. I found out about this ministry from a friend at my church and ended up taking 7 van loads of clothes and shoes to donate to the ministry. Each time I would ask if he had anyone buying her clothes and he said almost all I had donated from the previous trip were gone. Got to know him well and his ministry and still donate when I can and ask others to also.
I know of several of the local dress shops donate their out of stock or items that have not sold as well as consignment shops that have been there too long and the customer does not reclaim.
I also try to help those in need in many ways without compensation and have found the rewards too plentiful to mention.
Thanks for being there to help those who need it.
God Bless You…
Pastor Jason is the real deal. I have encountered him accidentally in other settings and heard stories of his service before he began the ministry. The store is truly a blessing to the community. I like the Christian music playing in the background. The store accepts donations of almost anything and has almost anything a person needs. Books, including children’s books, shoes, knick knacks, bedding, jackets, dishes, etc. at far below the cost at any other thrift store I have ever been in.
Support this place any way you can.
I haven’t been to this store but I’ll make the drive to start this year. Like others mentioned, Goodwill has gone way up on prices, I’m done with that. The mission stores are good and as one comment said, I leave whatever I planned to spend as a donation if I don’t need anything that day. We can easily take care of our own with a little effort.
i
ii’ll take the drive just to support this man
I have been taking all clothes and things that someone could use more here for years, the only place I donate too. I love what they do here. While I’m not personally religious, I respect Pastor Jason and his mission. He always greets you with a smile and asks how you are. I witnessed him help a mother who wanted a few toys for her childrens Christmas when I was there a week or so before the holiday. He wouldnt let her use her money just to have something for her kids to open. Little things like this that are really huge things in this world, are why I love this place.
I love this thrift store for more reasons then one. The pastor is so kind and generous with everyone that comes through, he has stayed open late for me on numerous occasions. His staff is also just as sweet and kind, especially Daphne. I want to take a minute and brag about how nice she is. She has also helped me on many different occasions with stuff when I came in the store. She always has smile on her face and such willingness to go out of her way to help you look for anything you need. God bless her and her work ethic.
If you wonder if his heart is true…. I can say that I witnessed a difficult situation that he was involved in several years ago. His faith was not shaken. He was more concerned about the affect on the ministry than anything personal. I was blessed to witness what I did – it showed me ways that I could pray for him & his family. While I won’t give details, I will say that Pastor Jason is a man of integrity and does the right thing when no one is looking.
I did not know this store existed. I will be coming there soon.
>>Is this a place where I could drop off some gently-used items?
Yes. A majority of the items are donated. And’s a non-profit ministry (important if you need a tax receipt).
This is a wonderful article. I did not even know the place existed. I am in the process of cleaning out closets and am just shocked at how much stuff I have but had forgotten about. Winter coats, shirts, sweaters, etc. Is this a place where I could drop off some gently-used items? I’d rather donate here than to any of the other “Goodwill” type places or “Donate” boxes around!
This man is clearly not in it for personal gain or glory but I’m so glad that he is being recognized. N.E. could do a write up on him every day for a month and still not cover all the good things he has done for this community. I know some people have had bad experiences in chirch or dealing with flawed christians but Next time we get skeptical about Christians and the good that comes from a true believer I’d say we should think about Pastor Jason. A true example of God’s vision of how we should treat each other.
WHAT A WONDERFUL PLACE THIS WORLD WOULD BE, IF THERE WAS MORE FOLKS LIKE PASTOR LEE!!
If there was ever a Webster’s Dictionary definition of “salt of the earth”, Brother Jason Lee’s photo would be included.
This man has the sense of what a community and love for your neighbor should be.
Thank you for bringing this man’s goodness to the attention of everyone. He exemplifies how we ALL should be. If we were, nobody would want for a need.
God bless you all.
This is how it is suspose to operate. I asked a lady at Goodwill if they ever helped anyone and she said she had been there two years and did not know of one time.
I love it when we listen to the Lord’s voice. Everyone is blessed when we do so . Thank you for this ministry and your willingness to share your heart!
I love this store and I always buy something there. I always save so much money that I always leave a donation.The Pastor is always so nice to me too and I like that it means a lot to me.I always here him talking cheerfully to everyone .Knowing he is an X Marine is nice, cause once a Marine always a Marine My dad was a Marine for 2 yrs.Being the daughter of a Marine was really awesome,growing up.I love this place thank you for spotlighting the Out reach store!