Customers pilfered through the remaining items inside Rainier Thrift and Gift Friday in Bonney Lake Village following the announcement the store was closing after nearly 10 years of serving the Bonney Lake community.

Staff and employees from the Rainier School were shocked when the store receive a notice to vacate last month after five years at the location. The store posted a letter June 27 announcing the closing and thanking their customers for their support.

Director of Adult Training Programs Jodie Pilarski said it was an “absolute shock” when they were told the store was told to evacuate.

“We didn’t expect this at all,” Pilarski said. “We have been negotiating with the property manager.”

She said the five-year lease ended in May.

“We thought everything was moving right alone and everything was fine,” Pilarski said.

Pilarski said Rosen-Harbottle Commercial Real Estate of Bellevue, owners of the property, increased the rent by about 65 percent.

“It was beyond what we are able to do,” she said. “It put us into quite a tailspin. We had to move quickly for our clients and program. Now we need to find a new location.”

She said Rainier School will continue the program and find a place “quickly.”

Stan Rosen, managing partner for Rose-Harbottle, said Monday that Rainier Thrift was paying half the amount other tenants in the shopping center are paying for space.

“If we can’t get the rent we need, we can’t pay our taxes on the buildings,” Rosen said. “Our taxes have increased more than 50 percent.”

He said he doesn’t want his company to be labeled “the bad guy” for terminating the store’s lease, but he said he would like to help find another location for them.

“They were a good long-time tenant,” said Rosen. “But the state told us they can’t afford to pay the market rate we’re asking.”

Rosen said he feels Rainier Thrift may be better suited for a warehouse-style facility, rather than commercial retail property.

He added Rainier’s lease was up May 31 and claims they knew six months ago, about the increased rate for the space leased.

Now staff and employees are hoping the Aging and Disability Services Administration under the Department of Social and Health Services, can help find a new facility for the store.

Manager Beth Kilmer said many customers were upset to hear the store was closing.

“One customer was in tears,” Kilmer said. “We have a lot of regular customer that come here each week. Hopefully we can find another place to rent or lease soon.”

Adult Training Specialist Amy Chabot, who has been at Rainier Thrift for most of the 10 years, helps train the employees with disabilities.

“This program has been one of the best things I have seen Rainier School do,” Chabot said. “We’ve had individuals who worked out here that no one thought could work in the community. They came out here and had tremendous success.”

She said one of her clients now works in Tacoma.

“I got teary-eyed the other day,” Chabot said. “This has been 10 years of my life. I love it here.”

For now, she goes to the Rainier School campus to hear from Olympia about another building. “We’d really like to stay in Bonney Lake,” she said. “We really established a good business here. It’s been very successful.”

Since the news, Chabot said, the staff is being positive for the employees.

“It’s been the not knowing that has been hard for them,” she added.

Yolanda Nelson, an adult training specialist since the store opened in 2000 next to Ben Franklin, said she the closing was unexpected.

She said the clients who work at the store have a daily routine of getting on a bus and coming to work there.

Nelson said she feel sad for the customers.

“They have really gotten use to us being here,” she said. “We’re like there daily routine.”

Many of the clients come from the Rainier School and learn different job skills and work in the store. A client, named Lonnie, said he does several jobs including helping customers and serving as a cashier.

Kilmer added donations will be accepted at the Rainier School’s Pine Hall. For more information, call 360-829-3400 or 360-829-3093 to arrange pickups for donations.

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