Carpenter’s Corner Thrift and More plans to open second location in south Rockford

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our free e-newsletter

ROCKFORD — Carpenter’s Corner Thrift and More, a secondhand retail store that supports Carpenter’s Place’s mission of helping the homeless, plans to open a second location next year.

The nonprofit plans to move to 2512 S. Alpine Road after Eyram Furniture & Mattress, which is next to the former Save-A-Lot grocery store at the Alpine Village shopping center, leaves the space at the end of the year. The goal is to open the new Carpenter’s Corner location in spring.

“The city has supported Carpenter’s Place via Carpenter’s Corner to such an extent that they’ve driven us to need a second store, which is a great thing,” said Kelly Whitham, director of retail operations for Carpenter’s Place.

More news: An inside look at the old Rever’s Marina as it is prepped for redevelopment in Rockford

Eyram plans to downsize to a smaller storefront a few doors down and focus on mattress sales without the inventory of furniture in house. Furniture will still be available by order. Eyram’s last day in the space is Dec. 31, and it’s now displaying signs for a store closing sale.

Carpenter’s Corner opened its original location at 1715 Rural St., a former grocery store, in March 2023. That space has 28,000 square feet filled with home decor, clothing, children’s books, a bike program, other household goods and more.

“Due to the generosity of our community, we receive such an influx of in-kind donations we can’t turn over the new inventory quickly enough. We need more sales floor,” Alberto Carrion, executive director of Carpenter’s Place, said in a news release.

The new spot has 18,000 square feet of space and will open once there are 28,000 priced pieces for sale. Carpenter’s Place takes over the space in January with the goal to complete the move in and open in spring.

The store will employ about 10 to 15 people. The original site employs more than 20, some who previously went through Carpenter’s Place’s programs to help the homeless reestablish their lives.

“We plan to mirror everything here at the original Carpenter’s Corner on Rural,” Whitham said. “I think the most important thing to our clientele, our customer, is knowing that all of their proceeds — 100% — stay in Rockford and are changing lives here in our city.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas