Board members, volunteers and shoppers celebrated yesterday the completion of a large-scale expansion to the Altona MCC Gift and Thrift Store. Corny Fehr chairs the Board of Directors. He says the plan of adding 5,000 square feet to the building on Main Street had been in the works for a while.

"...that's about six years ago that we started planning, there was a restaurant beside us and we had to buy it out. When we started building, it was about six months ago."

Fehr explains this expansion will be used to display large furniture items. The addition also provides much needed room for volunteers to work on repairs to items that are donated before they hit the floor to be sold.

Linie Friesen, one of the four ladies that founded the thrift shop back in 1972, was also at the big grand opening. She was thrilled to see the extra space.

"They were always so crowded...and it's not a let-up of clothing coming is it?"

Meantime, Fehr notes the project came in slightly under the $1 million budget. "We are grateful for that."