Pretty Please
In last gasp, Historic Houston Salvage Warehouse makes final sale push
Time's up for Historic Houston's Salvage Warehouse, and in a last-minute attempt to raise funds and stay afloat, director Lynn Edmundson has declared a half-off sale on items for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. What's more, merchandise is tax-free, resulting in a near 60-percent savings.
"As a non-profit, we're allowed to do a tax-free sale twice a year," says Edmundson, noting that the discount does not apply to flooring, shiplap or siding. The Historic Houston crew has assembled unique greenhouses out of reclaimed windows for the sale. Alternatively, customers may purchase a kit to assemble their own greenhouse at home.
The organization has received seven donations, putting it above the $13,000 mark. However, Edmundson has previously stated that $50,000 is needed to keep Historic Houston operating. Other than crew, all organization employees will be laid off after this weekend. "We've got a ways to go," she tells CultureMap.
After Saturday's sale, she predicts that the warehouse will close while it transfers goods from its second, out-of-use warehouse. She doesn't anticipate completely reopening before May 1.
"At that point," she says, "we're going to be really looking at ways to turn the program around or be disposing of stuff. At this point I don't know what direction it will take."
The director reports that she has applied for a grant from a foundation that only issues emergency funding. She's hoping the grant provider will consider the application and make a decision in early May.
Editor's note: Read CultureMap's previous stories on Salvage Warehouse's dilemma:
Unless a preservation angel intervenes, Historic Houston Salvage Warehouse is history
Historic Houston holding out hope for Salvage Warehouse as it tries to avoid the "Houston solution"
