For New Thrift Shop, It’s Out of the ‘Fire’ and Onto the Sales Rack

A new Out of the Closet thrift store opened in Long Beach, featuring garment racks stacked with donations from the television show “Grace Under Fire.”

The thrift store’s proceeds go to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the Comprehensive AIDS Resource Education Program at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach.

For its opening day Feb. 2, the thrift store at 3500 E. Pacific Coast Highway had 12 boxes of wardrobe items and 100 pairs of shoes given to it by the staff of “Grace Under Fire.” The store sold $5,300 worth of items its first day, store manager Ruben Galeano said Monday.

The 6,000-square-foot outlet also sells furniture, appliances and other goods that come from individual donations and major retailers.

Out of the Closet is one of the largest AIDS-related retail businesses in the United States, with 12 outlets in Southern California.