Salvation Army to open new store

The Salvation Army has purchased the former Spectrum Furniture Building in south Fort Myers. The purchase price was $3.5 million.

The Salvation Army has plans to open a 20,000-square-foot Family Store on U.S. 41 in south Fort Myers.

The $3.5 million building, which was formerly owned and occupied by the now-closed Spectrum Furniture, will offer the community a new place to shop for items such as clothing, furniture and cars.

“We did a non-scientific study and that’s a very good location because it’s a point of destination for the clientele that we attract,” said Meg Geltner, general manager of the Salvation Army of Lee County.

The store is scheduled to open between January and February 2008 but donations such as vehicles and other items are needed.

“We have seen a downturn in sales because of the economy so people instead of buying new stuff and giving us the old items, aren’t,” said Geltner, about the economy that is making it harder for the Salvation Army to raise funds. “We have family stores that are designed similar to Target.”

The faith-based organization is making minor repairs to the 20-year-old Spectrum building but is also working to find alternatives to closing their Fowler Street family store.

“The Florida Department of Transportation is coming and is taking Fowler and making it a one-way street,” said Geltner about the store that will be replaced by the U.S. 41 store. “We can’t close it down yet because there is still a need in the area and it’s real convenient.”

Geltner is scouting out an alternate location but said it would be easier if a patron from the community could offer the Salvation Army a location at lower-than-market cost.

“We have a very low overhead and we need patrons that could give us facilities in (Fort Myers),” said Geltner about the organization, which prefers to buy a location instead of rent it because it keeps costs down. They are currently paying $8,500 to FDOT for their Fowler store. “The Fowler location is beneficial because the Spectrum building is farther south.”

The Salvation Army purchased the building in full to avoid paying rent and use the money for programs including a Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment program for men in Fort Myers.

“The Salvation Army has the tools here to benefit anybody who wants to come and get help,” said Tom Lizotte, 58, who entered the program in 2002 and has been sober for five years. “It’s a good idea that they open stores because it gives them the ability to help people.”

Geltner expects to have as many as 3,400 people a year visiting the new store based on the visitors to the Fowler store.
“We are a good neighbor and the family store concept is very upscale,” she said.