KARM of Farragut celebrates one year
Knox Area Rescue Ministries thrift store near Farragut was special from its very beginning.
The KARM thrift store, 10612 Kingston Pike near Lovell Road, opened its doors in February 2016 and celebrated its grand opening event in May 2016.
“Within a month of opening this location, it became the largest store in our chain,” said Evan Crass, director of partner engagement for KARM.
Crass said KARM took a large risk and actually purchased the land for the store.
“[The property] had been on the market for such a long period of time and we decided to jump in the deep end of the pool with it,” he said.
Typically, KARM leases property, which allows the organization to test and see if the location will work, Crass said.
“Thankfully, that has paid off in spades, not only as the community welcomed us, but it has been so phenomenally successful for both ease of donation and for our customers,” he said.
”I do love this store,” said Dinah Stanley, a customer from Hardin Valley. “I love the way it feeds homeless people every time I pay for a purchase. I feel like it’s double blessings.”
“We have had more and more shoppers from not only the Farragut area but also from greater West Knoxville, and I know people will travel from across town to visit this location,” Crass said. “So it has been a joy to connect with so many people in West Knoxville.
“It has become the first place that many people learn about Knox Area Rescue Ministries, the 1,000 meals that we provide on any given day and the 400 beds that are filled on any given night,” he added.
“Many people don’t know what’s happening downtown at our rescue mission, so this particular store location sees more donors, more shoppers than any other single location that we have.”
Since it’s opening a year ago, KARM has added more work spaces for employees because the need has been so overwhelming.
“Originally, when we opened the doors to receive donations, we initially had a single team,” Crass said.
The store now has three teams, working in the back of the facility, to receive donations, sort through those donations and get them out to that store and other KARM stores.
He said the KARM store off Kingston Pike has become a model for other KARM stores in the way it receives donations.
“When we opened, we didn’t have any of these pictures of our guests you can see,” he said referring to photos on the wall. “We have been very intentional about trying to add in different elements to help connect the dots for people so they understand every $2 helps provide a meal at KARM.
In the not-so-distant future, Crass said the organization plans to add monitors in the store and share some videos of the life changes that have taken place at KARM.
Over the course of the past 12 months, Crass estimated the store has helped provide 70,000 meals.
“But, we’re also meeting the needs of guests at a much deeper level,” he said. “We have programs that allow them to break the cycle of chronic homelessness.”
KARM is confronting issues of housing, employment, addictions and other health concerns, which might include mental health as well as physical health, Crass said.
“For the very first time, KARM is able to provide a level of mental health care through our counseling center,” he said, adding it also has opened a respite center in conjunction with Cherokee Health Care.
Store hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays. The store is closed Sundays. Donations can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Saturday. Drop-off closed Sundays.
For more information about the store, call 865-521-0770.
