Thrift store, card shop join Ritzville downtown businesses

Ritzville resident Scott Morrill opened a trading card and sports memorabilia shop last year and is now in the process of assuming ownership of the thrift store, which occupies the same building in downtown Ritzville.

The thrift store, previously the Red Closet Door, now comes with a new name under the new ownership: The Ritzville Thrift Store.

The second half of the business is Scottie’s Card Shop.

The previous owner, who started the store, decided to transfer ownership over to Morrill because of how far the store was from Wenatchee, where he lived.

Morrill, now that he is in charge, has many plans for the future of the business. The first of which is to increase customer traffic into the store.

“A lot of people don’t know we are here,” he explained.

When Morrill first opened a business downtown, as a part of Red Closet Door, it was as a sports memorabilia shop.

“I wanted to do something that I love as a living,” said Morrill.

Morrill is helped by his fiancee, Heather, in the running the store.

While he is still selling his memorabilia items in the shop, Morrill is downsizing to focus more on the thrift store.

Morrill said that it is hard to find a target customer base in Ritzville but he has poured everything into starting his business.

In addition to the trading cards, some dating to the 1950s, Morrill has collectable bobble heads and posters, as well as autographed memorabilia. He even has some Seattle Seahawks football cards that have pieces of the players’ jersey embedded in them.

Many of his items are purchased new and are still sealed or have been graded and certified as real.

The focus of his new store is high quality products at low cost. There is also a strong emphasis on giving back to the community.

The Ritzville Thrift Store is partnered with the Ritzville Food Pantry and 10 percent of the profits from pre-loved clothing sales goes to the pantry.

Additionally, any clothing that does not meet the standards for sale in the store is donated directly to the food bank for distribution.

“We’ve taken five or six tubs of clothing in the past two weeks to them,” Morrill said.

The store sells more than just clothing and sports memorabilia, with a selection of lightly used DVDs. The store also accepts unwanted electronics.

The thrift store doesn’t have any furniture for sale, but Morrill said they would sell it if it came in.

There are very tight regulations on what Morrill can sell, as far as items for children. Used cribs, highchairs and certain children’s toys cannot be sold because of safety regulations.

Morrill said these items would be given to the pantry.

Morrill has many plans for expansion of the business and hopes to employ locals to work in the store once it begins to thrive.

“Right now we are just hoping we can keep our heads above water,” he explained.

Unwanted items can be dropped off at the thrift store’s location on the corner of Main Avenue and Division Street anytime during the store’s regular hours of operation.

The shop is located at 102 West Main Avenue in Ritzville, and maintains business hours from 8-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.