A new business benefiting area veterans has opened its doors in the community.
For Our Vets, 520 East St. at Wilson Road, is owned by Pahrump resident Tina Trenner.
Trenner said she was driving back to Pahrump from Las Vegas when the idea came to her.
“I was listening to a station on the radio and they were doing a food drive for veterans,” she recalled. “I then became aware of the issues here in Pahrump, but I was not aware that they were as bad as they are. As I was listening to some of the stories on the radio, I was thinking there’s got to be a way to help these brave men and women of Nye County.”
After talking to several people, Trenner said she came up with the idea of a thrift store where part of the earnings will go to veteran-related causes.
“We have been open for nine weeks, and on some days it’s really, really good and then nothing, and then really, really good again,” she said. “Many people come in and say they will be back when their money comes in, so I guess that’s what it is. I talked to a couple of people and found out there is indeed a tremendous need to help our veterans and that’s how the store was born.”
Trenner said those who visit her shop would likely agree that it’s not just any old thrift store.
“That’s something I really want to stress to people because it’s just not,” she said. “We have some things that have been used before, but we take them and completely refurbish them and either paint them or turn them into something totally different. We took a blackjack table and turned it into a ‘man cave’ bar. We like to say that it’s a Las Vegas shopping experience with Pahrump prices.”
Much of the inventory, Trenner said, is handmade from local craftspeople.
“I like to think of my business as a boutique,” she said. “It really is, because I have a variety of different things. We make a lot of dog beds and we have sold a lot of custom-made dog beds, where I took a kid’s twin bed and turned it into a dog’s bed. We have sold three of those. We also have beautiful gift baskets made by a local lady. We also have clothing. It’s mostly just a few different items because I’m not going to carry a lot of clothes.”
Aside from the items inside the shop, Trenner said she has inventory in the parking lot.
“We also sell cars. We call it ‘Park and Sell’ cars, done on a straight commission. We are not necessarily in the car business, but if someone wants to sell their car, and it has a clean title, they can put it out here and sell it on a commission basis only. We just charge them a commission. We have sold a few at this point.”
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays through Fridays. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes