Value Village closing after three decades, Salem Health leases parking

Thrift store Value Village in Salem will close Saturday, ending a more than three-decade run on the city's east side.

Next door, Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics is leasing parking spaces at the former K-mart by Value Village to give its employees somewhere to park while the hospital, which is about two miles away, undergoes construction.

Value Village at 2460 Mission SE is closing "due to an expiring lease agreement," said company spokeswoman Sara Gaugl.

The closure punches the latest hole in Salem's retail scene. Major retailers including Nordstrom, Macy's and Sears have closed up shop in recent years around the city.

Value Village, which sells clothes and household goods, opened in November 1988. At the time, the approximately 20,000-square-foot operation was touted as Oregon's "largest thrift store," according to Statesman Journal archives.

The store employed 28 workers; today it employs about 50.

Gaugl said the company typically tries to place workers in open positions at other Value Village locations if possible, though she didn't specify if that happened in Salem's case.

"We are deeply grateful for the Salem community that has embraced our store, and have put resources in place to support impacted employees through this transition," Gaugl said. 

"While we don't have additional information to share today, thrift shopping continues to build momentum and we're always looking for potential locations that meet our real estate requirements," she said.

Customers on Tuesday pored over merchandise inside the store. Value Village was offering 75% off Halloween goods like an elven wand and a hanging skeleton. Books were buy four get one free. Second-hand heels were for sale in the women's shoes section.

Meeting 'the needs of a growing and aging community'

Salem Health is leasing space at 25th and Mission streets SE for offsite employee parking, according to a spokesman for the health care provider.

The Statesman Journal reported in February the city's largest private employer was looking to add 100 beds as more patients seek care in coming years. The greater Salem area is expected to add another 60,000 people by 2035, growing to a population of 270,000, city estimates show.

On Tuesday, Salem Health spokesman Elijah Penner said the health care provider is adding a seven-story building as an expansion to Building A. The expansion includes 150 beds, an estimated price tag of $235 million and a timeframe of January 2020 to July 2022, he said.

The construction is aimed at meeting "the needs of a growing and aging community," Penner said. Construction at the Salem Health campus won't affect patient or visitor parking, but employee parking will be upset, he said.

"In order to accommodate staff needs during this period, we will run an employee shuttle from the offsite parking lot to Salem Hospital," Penner said.

Contact reporter Jonathan Bach by email at jbach@statesmanjournal.com or by phone at 503-399-6714. Follow him on Twitter at @jonathanmbach.