The current Estuary Thrift Shop will be closing its doors on Friday, Jan. 28, but fear not: The store has a new home at 889 Boston Post Road in Old Saybrook that will open in March.

The current location at 220 Main Street in Old Saybrook will continue to take donations on Mondays by appointment throughout February. In March, there will be a soft opening of the new location with the official grand opening coming in April.

The shop, which is mostly volunteer-run, has served has one of the biggest fundraisers for The Estuary (formerly known as the Estuary Council of Seniors, Inc.). The money raised by the shop help fund programs provided to seniors in the community such as meals on wheels. The Estuary is a 501(c) 3, non-profit organization that has provided programs and activities for seniors in Chester, Clinton, Essex, Deep River, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook for close to 50 years.

According to The Estuary Director of Development and Outreach Heather Milardo, the thrift shop has been around “as long as the organization itself in some form.”

The store sells everything from clothes to dishware to games, puzzles, and even some furniture.

“It sells really everything except linens and electronics,” said Milardo.

However the shop’s current location is in the basement of The Estuary, which Milardo said limits the space available both for the shop and for The Estuary needs. Additionally, Milardo said that there are some “water problems” that need to be addressed with the space.

“Moving works out well to help remedy some of those issues,” Milardo said.

A press release from The Estuary stated that with the relocation, the thrift shop will have more space, better lighting, and will open up more space in the senior center for more programming. Milardo expanded upon those points to the Harbor News.

“Part of the reason for moving is that the new location is larger and more open so we can carry more items. Right now, for example, we don’t have a lot of furniture, but we’ll be able to carry more chairs and larger items like that.”

“Also right now it’s in the basement of the Estuary so there’s just not lot of viability for it, but we think the new location might lead to more people coming in,” said Milardo.

As for the current space, Milardo said that once the maintenance issues are fixed and the shop moved, The Estuary can devote the vacated area to new programming needs.

“We have no concrete plans, but we’ll do something that focuses on wellness,” said Milardo.

A firm opening date for the new location has not been set yet, but people can stay up to date with developments by visiting yourestuary.org and The Estuary Facebook page or call 860-388-1611 with any questions.