When the Rapid City Club for Boys Thrift Store first opened its doors 20 years ago, Roger Erickson hoped that one day, the store would make $100,000 a year. Today the thrift store makes seven times that amount and has become the club's main source of funding.

"In those years, we were constantly out raising money," said Erickson, who was the club's director then. "We had hoped that someday, eventually, it would make some money for the club. We expected it to take years and years. Now, it makes almost three-quarters of a million dollars a year. Wow."

In the early years, the Thrift Store opened once a month in a single room at the Club for Boys as a way to help the members learn skills and to help get rid of extra donations.

"Then, we realized, oh my, there's a real demand," Thrift Store co-manager Carri Redmond said.

With the assistance of a Bush grant, the Thrift Store was able to move to its current location east of the Club for Boys and started opening three times a week.

As demand grew, so did their hours. Now, they're open six days a week. The continued success of the Thrift Store is largely thanks to the community, Redmond said.

"The community has always stepped up," she said. "Businesses donate, volunteers help out - and the customers come in every day to shop."

Despite the economic downturn, the thrift store has continued to thrive, seeing almost 300 customers on Saturdays alone.

"We've always been busy, but lately, we've been seeing a big increase," Redmond said. "We are seeing new faces every day."

The thrift store is the largest funding source for the Club for Boys, executive director Scott Bader said. The funds help cover administrative expenses and other areas of the budget that grants don't typically cover.

As with many nonprofit organizations nationwide, funding sources are harder to find. One club Bader is familiar with has a weekend Bingo event as a main funding source. But with an event like that, there is often smoking at the facility and a lot of drawbacks to put it on, he said.

"The store is a great way to make sure our expenses are covered without a lot of extra hassle," he said.

The store employs about a dozen adult and junior workers. One of them is Zac Murray, 16, of Sturgis. He was a member of the Club for Boys when he started working at the store more than two years ago. He has learned to work with cash registers, count change and deal with the public - all skills he will need in the future.

"I have learned how to deal with all types of people," he said. "My people skills are much better than when I started. I really like being able to help them when there's a problem."

The store's success has meant a lot of growth at its current location. The main building houses the food, clothing, household items and holiday decorations. All of the furniture and bigger items are housed in furniture tents outside. Staff and volunteers clean and sort donations in a small room inside.

"We have outgrown our building," Redmond said. "Our future wish list would definitely mean a bigger building."