CASA Pinellas, the county’s licensed domestic violence nonprofit, has purchased the worn Cellarmasters wine bar and bottle shop at 1005 1st Avenue North within the EDGE District for $1.75 million, rising room to amplify its neighboring thrift store and generate further funding for survivor products and providers.
The 2,190-square-foot constructing, which CellarMasters vacated after closing in November 2025, sits subsequent to CASA’s 17,000-square-foot constructing at 1011 1st Avenue North, which properties the nonprofit’s thrift store on the predominant floor and Family Justice Center on the second.
CASA, which stands for Neighborhood Action Stops Abuse, will flip the newly obtained constructing real into a donation-receiving, sorting, and processing center, relocating befriend-of-condominium capabilities now housed inner the thrift store.
The switch will allow the nonprofit to amplify the thrift store’s gross sales floor by about 20%.
CASA CEO Lariana Forsythe stated housewares are the shop’s greatest seller and generate its highest margins. The further gross sales floor will allow CASA to carry extra merchandise, particularly in that category.
The thrift store generates about $1 million every one year in unrestricted income for CASA, in step with Forsythe. The group estimates the extra retail space might presumably furthermore manufacture roughly $200,000 extra every one year.
For CASA, unrestricted income is particularly precious because powerful of its grant funding is restricted to bid programs or costs.
“Reasonably just a few the cash we receive is highly restricted,” Forsythe stated in a dialog with St. Pete Rising. “If anyone desires minute one system and that grant has escape out, we are in a position to’t buy system. We’ve obtained to have cash to buy system.”
In fiscal one year 2024–25, CASA offered $1.31 million in teach assistance to other folk, in conjunction with bigger than $1.13 million for housing and utility costs, in step with the nonprofit’s most most sleek Secure 990.
CASA Pinellas presents products and providers for domestic violence survivors and their households, in conjunction with security planning, disaster intervention, emergency shelter, approved representation and advocacy, housing assistance, rapidly rehousing, and education and prevention programs.
Its confidential emergency shelter offered refuge to 542 survivors final one year, in conjunction with 252 children, and logged 22,757 bed nights. CASA furthermore offered in point of fact unprejudiced real housing products and providers to 913 survivors and their children.
The Family Justice Center brings CASA case managers and 12 on-residing partner organizations together in one residing, making it more uncomplicated for survivors to receive real of entry to approved, housing, and other beef up products and providers. It served 1,621 other folk final one year.
The center was as soon as created to simplify what can in any other case turn out to be an incredible route of for anyone attempting to head away an abusive relationship while furthermore caring for children, declaring a job, and discovering housing.
“You’re attempting to shield a job. You’re facing children. It’s impossible,” Forsythe stated of navigating just a few agencies and appointments. “That’s why we created the Family Justice Center.”
CASA’s approved products and providers embrace representation by Florida Bar attorneys and paralegals in injunction-for-protection hearings, as effectively as justice advocacy..
The group furthermore presents survivors with clothes and family objects via the thrift store as they save a brand new house. CASA reported receiving donated clothes and family objects valued at bigger than $1.1 million final one year.
Forsythe stated CASA had thought to be relocating the thrift store however in a roundabout device made up our minds to manufacture on its longtime presence along 1st Avenue North.
“Piece of our success is the historical previous. Of us know that we’re here,” Forsythe stated. “We’ve elected to pause here. It doesn’t invent sense for us to switch.”
CASA hopes to full the thrift store enlargement by January.
These attracted to supporting CASA can donate cash, volunteer, or contribute new or gently passe objects to its thrift store. More knowledge is offered at casapinellas.org.
If you happen to or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, CASA Pinellas operates a 24-hour hotline at (727) 895-4912. If you happen to might presumably furthermore be in instant hazard, name 911.
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