ST. LOUIS – Miriam Switching Post, a cherished resale shop in St. Louis, will close its doors on Nov. 1 after decades of supporting the community and Miriam School.

“It was one of the hardest decisions I think the board has ever had to make!…If you had have ever come to the Switching Post, you will see it’s this beautiful community where we have these very generous donors who give us goods that can be sold for kids,” said Meg Bamford, head of School & Learning Center. “And then we have this community of volunteers who work so hard! We have 48 volunteers…and we have 3 of the hardest-working people you’ve ever met as our staff!”

The shop, known for its upscale resale furniture, collectibles, and jewelry, has been a community staple since the 1950s. It operated through donations and volunteers, funneling profits to Miriam School to assist children with learning differences.

However, rising costs and declining revenue have forced the board of directors to make the difficult decision to close.

The closure announcement comes after a challenging period for the shop. Last November, thieves broke in just hours after a holiday event, stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise and petty cash intended to support Miriam students. In response, several donors contributed thousands of dollars to help the store recover.

The shop’s landlord had informed Miriam that rent would increase by 40 percent in January, a financial burden that, combined with years of decreased sales, was too much for the shop to absorb.

Despite the closure, Miriam leaders emphasize that the mission to support students will continue. Proceeds from the shop have been one of many ways to fund tuition assistance for Miriam students.

The last day to shop at Miriam Switching Post is November 1st, with farewell sales beginning in mid-October. Donations will be accepted until Oct. 4. Miriam indicates that this is not the end, but rather a pause, as they are reimagining a new model that could eventually reopen in a sustainable and student-centered way.

“We’re gathering a group of people together and we are welcoming anyone who can kind of help us with that thinking in terms of a great business plan,  and location and our model. So we’re going to get a group together. Our hope is to get our ideas up and going and get that infrastructure in place so we can move forward with a new switching post 2.0,” Bamford said.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.