Downtown Welcomes R&D Thrift Store And Consignment Gallery

When one door closes another door opens.

A former Maytag man, Richard Youngblood managed the company’s Southcenter, Bellevue and Lynnwood stores, until he got a call one day. The stores were slated to close, he said, remembering how his locations were among the first in a chain of closures.

“I’ve never been without a job,” he said, adding that he wasn’t initially worried about finding employment.

But a few weeks turned into a few months. After seven months of interviews with no offers, Youngblood, 62, decided to take the situation into his own hands.

He began looking at storefronts in Renton to start his own business, R&D Thrift Store and Consignment Gallery. The new storefront opened in July and celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony in mid-October.

“Renton to me is a place I wanted to be,” he said. Youngblood negotiated a price and a ‘lease as long as I want it,’ with his landlord on the condition that he’d occupy the storefront, remodel the space and make his own improvements.

Neither Youndblood nor his wife, Donna, have owned or operated a thrift store before. Donna is a full-time Boeing employee, but helps out at the store when she has time.

The operation has become a family affair. Janice Tanner, Donna’s mother, helps by designing the window displays. The Youngbloods keep the store and its merchandise looking fresh by rotation the artwork and furniture at least every two weeks, he said.

The couple purchase merchandise through estate sales, and some of Donna’s coworkers have donated items to the store, they said, adding that they are indebted to their friends for donations and for volunteering in the store.

“We’ve come here to provide a great product and a great service,” he said, adding that he’ll do his best to keep prices low.

R&D Thrift Store And Consignment Gallery is located at 226 Wells Avenue S.