St. Matthew’s House Golden Gate Bargain Store (Credit: WINK News) Making ends meet just got a little easier. A new thrift store in Golden Gate is different from all the others. The St. Matthew’s House Golden Gate Bargain Store takes goods from other stores that haven’t been sold and will mark them down even more. The store is located at 4945 Golden Gate Parkway. In this challenging economy, shopping at the Bargain Store is easy. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also be helping to save the environment and even lives. “Everything you see in here that was donated could potentially have ended up in a landfill,” said Daniel Moore, St. Matthew’s House regional manager. The vision for this new thrift store in Golden Gate was a unique idea to up-cycle. “A lot of the product in this store is second run. It’s been to another location, it didn’t sell at that location, so it comes here,” said Moore. What could have been trash is turned into treasure. You won’t need a magic wand to save at the Bargain Store, but you can teach your kids a lesson. “When families are coming in, and they can show that the kids can, you know how far a dollar can go,” said Moore. Price versus value is an invaluable lesson, says one thrifty mom. “Spending $40 on a brand-new dress that they’re only going to maybe wear once or twice to me seems a little bit ridiculous,” said Stephanie Watts. What’s reasonable for Watts are the deals, especially when it comes to buying her daughter clothes. “Doing this, you can pay a quarter of the cost that you would buying new and again, she may wear it once or twice, and then we pass it on and donate it again or pass it on to somebody else that we know,” said Watts. That is precisely what St. Matthew’s House is hoping for. “You buy them, you get to enjoy them, and then hopefully, you’ll recycle them or donate them back to us again. It’s just a great way to support what I would call the best mission in Southwest Florida,” said Moore. Quality goods and unique style are just some of the great things you can find while thrifting. When you shop at St. Matthew’s House, you are not only getting something of value but also adding value to somebody’s life by supporting St. Matthew’s mission.