Dave Leder

Selah shoppers have a new go-to spot for clothing, accessories and assorted housewares after the Yakima Union Gospel Mission (YUGM) introduced its newest retail store this spring.

Selah Thrift opened its doors to the public on March 6 at 111 Pleasant Ave. in the expanded Primrose Plaza, and YUGM is looking to spread the word about its extensive inventory, along with the many benefits the mission provides to Yakima Valley residents every day.

“We’re really excited to add this store to our other three,” said Autumn Bernier, Vice President of Enterprise and Analytics for YUGM. “Our stores do so much good in the community, and we would love to see our new store become as popular as our other locations.”

Located directly behind Starbucks on First Street, the 18,000-square-foot retail space isn’t immediately visible from the road, creating a challenge for customers who aren’t used to looking for it. But Bernier believes that once residents discover Selah Thrift, they will be back. 

“The Selah community has been great about helping us with donations, but we’re still trying to get the word out that we’re here and we have a lot of nice items for sale,” she said, noting that the store has created 29 new jobs. “Opening weekend was phenomenal, but we’d like to see a more sustained customer base this spring and summer.”

Selah Thrift specializes in men’s, women’s and kids’ clothing, but it also has a large shoe department, a home goods and décor section, books, games, toys, puzzles, jewelry, purses, bags, backpacks, electronics, tools, and more. 

The store also offers a buy-three-get-one-free deal on kids’ and infant clothing. And with the weather heating up, now is a great time to stock up on warm weather attire.

“We have a lot of great summer clothes right now — dresses, shorts, T-shirts, sandals — for way less than a department store,” Bernier said. “We have a huge selection, so now is a great time to stop by.” 

Like YUGM’s three other stores in Yakima — Summit Thrift, Lighthouse Thrift and Mission Thrift — all proceeds from Selah Thrift go toward funding the mission’s community programs, such as street outreach, long-term recovery, a free medical clinic, a sliding-scale dental clinic, adult shelters and a family shelter that serves 13 families.

As part of its community outreach efforts, YUGM sponsors a gift card system and an emergency voucher program for Selah School District students.

“We want people to know that everything we do at our stores is about helping the community,” Bernier said. “Our programs with the Selah Schools are kind of behind the scenes, but we do help a lot of families there.”

The emergency voucher system provided nearly $41,000 in vouchers to local families in 2025, and it has already contributed more than $7,800 in the first four months of this year.

The gift card program delivers 5% of donations back to the schools, which can use them for any students who need assistance with basic needs like food, clothing and shelter.

“The depth and breadth of the programs we have here is pretty amazing,” Bernier said. “We do a lot of good for people in the local community.”

Long before the building that houses Selah Thrift broke ground, YUGM had been in touch with Primrose Plaza owners Bill Harris and Jeff Wyss about a possible partnership. Local architect Don Poston brought the two parties together, and they reached an agreement on a long-term lease.

Working with Harris and Wyss has been a pleasure from the start, Bernier explained.

“We have loved partnering with them; they are really great guys to work with,” she said. “We have wanted to expand to Selah for a couple of years, and Bill and Jeff did everything they could to make it happen.”

In many ways, it feels like a higher power was involved in making Selah Thrift a reality.

“It just felt like this is where God wanted us to be,” Bernier said. “And we’re so happy to be here.”

Selah Thrift is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. To learn more, visit YUGM Thrift Stores page on Facebook or call 509-457-3370.