His House was founded two decades ago by Reverend Garland O. Ramsey, who wanted to do more to help the needy than his church was doing at the time. After a short time operating the thrift store, he came up with what His House is best known for: all clothes are $1.00. He figured that for that amount, anyone could afford to be decently dressed.
Today, His House does over a million dollars in business each year. In addition to helping people clothe themselves and furnish their homes inexpensively, they run a 70-bed men’s shelter and donate all the unsold clothes to charities in Haiti.
His House has four thrift stores in Columbia and Lexington. For this review, I shopped at the Highway 378 location in West Columbia.
As you might expect from a store where everything is $1.00 (children’s clothes are less), it ain’t fancy. Everything is arranged in broad categories on long racks in a warehouse-like building. This is definitely a store for shoppers who enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Just looking at the women’s shirts rack, for instance, you might see a size small sequined top in perfect condition right next to an old XL pilled t-shirt. I enjoy this kind of treasure hunt, and many other people must, too: at lunchtime on a weekday it was fairly busy, and the customers mostly looked well-off enough to be shopping there by choice rather than necessity.
I managed to find two great tops I can wear to work and a nice Liz Claiborne dress for a dollar apiece. I definitely recommend visiting His House if you’ve got one nearby. It’s a fun shopping experience, and the money goes to a great cause. And if you don’t live near one of their stores, Rev. Ramsey is looking for people who are interested in expanding the His House ministry to their own towns.
