DES MOINES, Iowa — The nonprofit organization Disabled American Veterans has been helping veterans and their families in the Des Moines metro for decades.
Their DAV Thrift Store was recently renovated after the building it occupies had not been updated in nearly 50 years.
"We wanted to get rid of all the asbestos tiles that were in the floor," Chris Blong, the general manager of the store, said. "We had to polish the concrete that was underneath the tile, and of course in the meantime, we put in all new shelving, new clothing racks and a new ceiling."
More than 350 feet of new shelving was installed in the store. Blong said adding more shelves and clothing racks allows the store to display more of the donated items they receive, which could potentially lead to more sales and that money would go towards helping more veterans.
"I think already we've seen probably over a 20 percent increase [in sales]," Blong said.
Daniel Gannon, the commander of DAV Des Moines Chapter 20, said not only would the increase in money help the veterans, it would also help their families.
"Whatever it may be ... benefits, claims or community activities," Gannon said.
Seeing an increase in sales would be beneficial to the organization because over the past year, they have seen an increase in the need to help veterans and their families, according to Gannon.
The renovations took nearly 30 days to finish. The majority of the renovations were done by community members.
"After taking the tiles up and finding asbestos, 515 Decorative Concrete Supply Company polished the floors," Blong said.
Blong also said during the renovation process, random community members would show up and offer to help in any way they could.
"It's something we appreciate, and it means a lot because this really goes towards helping veterans."
In addition to renovating the store, DAV also updated its pricing list.
"It makes us one of the most inexpensive thrift stores to shop at," Gannon said.
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