House of Mercy has about $75,000 in cash and another $25,000 in pledges toward the $350,000 it says it needs to lease two adjacent bays and reopen thrift-store floor space near Gainesville, Executive Director Jessica Root said Monday.
The nonprofit closed roughly one-third of its thrift-store sales floor to customers after losing about 75 pallet spaces of storage. That section remains closed and is likely to stay closed through the end of the year, Root said. In the first month after the closure, furniture revenue fell about 44 percent, and household-goods revenue fell about 18 percent.
Root said the landlord’s offer on the new space will not expire. House of Mercy still wants to finish raising the money this year, before end-of-year giving starts. If the goal is missed, the campaign will likely continue after the holidays.
Wellington Plaza, LLC is the landlord. The new bays will roll into the organization’s existing lease, which expires in 2029. Root said the year of rent on the added space is about $100,000. The rest of the $350,000 is for structural costs such as utilities, internet, and security, equipment including pallet racks, bins, and forklifts, and some operational expenses. She declined to give an exact breakdown, calling the figures estimates.
The storage losses came in two stages.
About two years ago, the organization was told it could not store anything above 12 feet without a special permit and lost roughly 25 pallet spaces. House of Mercy looked into permitting for about a year and concluded the process would cost $15,000 to $25,000 and might still be denied, or could require a sprinkler-system upgrade it said was not its responsibility.
Then, in late June or early July, a Fire Marshal visit led to a zoning finding that two 18-wheeler trailers behind the building were not allowed. The organization removed all exterior storage, about 50 more pallet spaces. The trailers had been there more than 10 years.
Root said the county could not identify a workable alternative. The organization has complied with Fire Marshal and zoning visits as they occurred.
The closed thrift-store floor is now used for overflow storage. The main thrift-store entrance remains open. House of Mercy’s official address is 8170 Flannery Court; the food pantry is at 8154, and the new bays are at 8092 and 8096.
Furniture donations have largely stopped because the furniture and household showroom is closed to the public. That has mostly halted or sharply reduced the Foundations of Mercy program, which helps households starting over after a house fire, release from prison, or homelessness. Those households often receive food but lack pots, pans, beds, and other basics the program had supplied.
Christmas with Mercy is also constrained. The program helped about 1,300 children last year, and House of Mercy expects a similar number this year. Root said the organization does not have internal space to collect more than 20 pallets of toys, set up the event two weeks ahead, and host it for two days. Last week it secured off-site storage for three months, at added cost in time and money. The event will happen, Root said, but it will look different. Plans are changing daily.
A full-choice pantry, in which clients select their own fresh fruits, vegetables and proteins, remains a longer-term goal. Root said House of Mercy hopes to expand to that model next year but has no confirmed month. The new warehouse space would let the organization free up its current pantry area for the change. Some of the campaign money might help with build-out, but additional funds will likely be needed six to nine months from now. The idea has been discussed for more than five years.
House of Mercy launched the Room for Mercy campaign Sept. 29. The original release described a 30-day drive ending Oct. 31 to acquire 4,500 square feet of adjacent space after a June warehouse reduction, restore thrift-store floor space, protect Christmas with Mercy and move toward a client-choice market. Root said the organization is the largest food pantry in Prince William County and serves 70,000 to 90,000 individuals a year.
The best ways to help now, Root said, are to give money, support Christmas with Mercy, donate food, shop the thrift store and spread the word. You can contribute at houseofmercyva.org/room-for-mercy or by calling 703-659-1636.
