Local business expands during pandemic shutdown

Yvonne Childs shows off some of the booths at A Little Bit of Everything, a local flea market. During the COVID shutdown, the thrift store operation relocated next to Big Lots from further down New Boston Road.
Yvonne Childs shows off some of the booths at A Little Bit of Everything, a local flea market. During the COVID shutdown, the thrift store operation relocated next to Big Lots from further down New Boston Road.

TEXARKANA, Texas - When it comes down to any store, even a thrift store or flea market, much of it is presentation.

"Customers notice a clean store or an unclean one," said Yvonne Childs, assistant to the owner of A Little Bit of Everything, a combination flea market and thrift store. Both stores are now located at different locations at Oaklawn Plaza, but that was not always so.

"The flea market operation has been here for quite awhile, but previously, the thrift store was located east of this area down New Boston Road," Childs said. During the COVID-19 outbreak, they were not deemed an essential business so they got shut down. The crew, however, did not stand idle. They used the downtime to relocate the thrift store next to Big Lots.

"We had been closed most of that year so it was a good way to use that time. Our prior location had grown too small," Childs said.

Since then, the two stores have proven they are in demand. The flea market rents out booths to merchants on a monthly basis, and no booths are currently available.

"Our merchants tend to come and stay," Childs said.

Over in the thrift store, merchandise is organized by rooms.

"In one of the rooms, you can find all books," she said. "Another, toys. Yet another, the largest one, you find furniture and clothing."

(A Little Bit of Everything is found at 2837 New Boston Road, Texarkana, Texas. The thrift store is located behind their location, right next to Big Lots)

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