FARMINGTON — One last ditch attempt to keep the Farmington Thrift Store open, a customer petition signed by over 300 customers, has not swayed the final decision, said Joanne Grignon, retail manager for Skills Inc. At this point, the final decision has been made, she said.

While racks of items are being discounted by 50 percent this week, the thrift store will close its doors on June 24 after 20-plus years on Broadway.

Separating the stores from the social enterprise model used previously by Ken-A-Set Association, which merged with Skills Inc. in 2005, the Somerset-County-based organization has realized the store has not been profitable, she said.

“It’s been deceiving. Prior to our merge with Skills, the programs and stores were linked and it wasn’t obvious that the stores weren’t profitable,” she said.

Previously, funding from the state enabled the organization to cover any losses incurred by the stores, but now  client-employees, who used to work all day, can only work two hours, which cuts down on production itself, she said.

The stores, filled with donations from area residents, provide an opportunity for client-employees with developmental disabilities to learn work skills. The organization has three retail stores in Waterville, Skowhegan and until next week, Farmington. The Farmington store is the only one scheduled to close.

“A lot of people in the area are going to miss the store,” Grignon said. Donations continue to flow in to the stores and sales have helped support the programs provided by Skills Inc.

Within just four days of learning of the closing, 330 customers signed a petition to keep the Farmington store open, said manager Patty Bessie, the store’s only full-time employee. A part-time person and two fill-in workers have also been involved with numerous volunteers over the years at the store.

Bessie said she has received some job offers but is not sure what she’s going to do after next week.

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