Your Franklin Holiday Cleanout and The Manger Now Share One Address

GraceWorks Ministries has more than doubled its leased space on Southeast Parkway, from 25,000 to 65,000 square feet, Williamson Source reported on November 1. Most of the coverage is about the bigger thrift store. One detail matters more in November and December. Volunteers sorted toys for The Manger, GraceWorks' December gift event, at the Williamson County Sheriff's Office warehouse in past years. This year they will do it in the expanded building, in a new work area built for it.

So for the next six weeks, the building that takes your outgrown dresser also takes the toys for children across Williamson County. It also runs the food pantry, and the expansion added Wednesday evening pantry hours. The store's sales help pay for GraceWorks' food, shelter and support services, which reach nearly 15,000 people each year. That makes the timing of a holiday cleanout part of the planning.

The Calendar Between Now and Mid-December

From this Thursday, these are the dates at or around 104 Southeast Parkway:

1. Saturday, November 14. Super Sale Saturday. The store holds it on the second Saturday of every month, with 50% off everything.
2. Friday, November 20. Last day to register as a host for a Manger toy drive. Registration opened October 1.
3. Wednesday, December 2. Volunteer spots held for sponsors open to the public after this date.
4. Thursday, December 3. Toy drop-off day at Southeast Parkway, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
5. Tuesday, December 8 through Friday, December 11. The Manger at Franklin First United Methodist Church.
6. Saturday, December 12. The next Super Sale Saturday, the day after The Manger closes.

The two sale days fall almost exactly a month apart, with the toy drive deadlines and the event itself in between. If you're clearing a garage before guests arrive, dropping things off early in November puts them on the sales floor before the busy weeks. If you plan to shop the 50% sale, November 14 comes before the December rush.

What the Larger Store Now Takes In

The new square footage went toward departments that were already there and some that weren't. According to Williamson Source, retail space has more than doubled. Furniture, antiques, men's clothing and children's clothing all have larger departments. Outdoor furniture, tools, arts and crafts, and children's toys are new categories. The women's boutique near the main entrance has nearly doubled. It carries designer shoes, formal wear, jewelry, clothing and china.

This changes what's worth bringing. Patio sets, spare tools and craft supplies that used to fit poorly in a smaller store now have their own sections. The expansion also added 40 parking spaces and an improved drop-off area.

GraceWorks' donation guidelines ask for gently used clothes, furniture, household goods, décor and small appliances. Items should be clean and in good or excellent condition, with no damage, stains, tears, odors or pet hair. The list of items it can't accept is long, and it includes many of the things a cleanout tends to turn up:

• Sleeper sofas, china cabinets, entertainment centers and armoires
• Desks and credenzas
• Exercise equipment
• Beds and mattresses
• Cribs, car seats and strollers
• Pianos and organs, pool tables and ping-pong tables
• Built-in or gas appliances, and any appliance more than 10 years old
• Building materials and fixtures

Drop-off runs Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and GraceWorks asks donors not to leave anything outside. The thrift store is open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Holiday weeks can change hours, so call ahead before making a trip around a single errand.

When the Item Is Too Big for the Car

GraceWorks offers free pickup in Williamson County for furniture and large appliances in great condition. It can't clean or repair donations. You can call 615-794-9055, option 5, or schedule online through ReSupply. ReSupply's guidelines for GraceWorks add more exclusions, including rugs, daybeds, bunk and trundle beds, and anything with bugs or heavy wear. The driver makes the final call at your door, so photos sent while scheduling need to show the item's actual condition.

GraceWorks is also expanding pickup to more ZIP codes. If your address hasn't qualified before, check again when you schedule.

How a Toy Becomes a Gift at The Manger

The Manger is GraceWorks' free Christmas shopping event for low-income families. Donated new items and volunteers create a store-style room where parents choose gifts for their children. Families can put $5 toward buying gifts. GraceWorks' event page says The Manger served more than 1,700 children last Christmas. It is open to Williamson County residents, shopping is for children ages 0 to 17, and capacity is limited. Families who register also get a Christmas Food Box delivery, through a partnership with local churches that has run for more than 20 years. Adult-only households can register for the food boxes alone.

There are four ways residents can help:

• Host a toy drive at work, church or in your neighborhood. Registration closes November 20. GraceWorks can provide collection boxes and will pick up drives of five or more boxes.
• Bring toys yourself to 104 Southeast Parkway on December 3, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Shop the Amazon wish lists, which are organized by age and linked from the Manger page.
• Volunteer through the signup link on the same page.

The new sorting room explains why the December 3 drop-off happens at Southeast Parkway instead of a separate warehouse. This year the toys will arrive at the same building as the household donations, be sorted there, and go to Franklin First United Methodist Church for the four days of the event. The Manger takes new items only, which is how its gifts differ from the toys on the thrift store's shelves.

Why GraceWorks Expanded While Planning to Move

The 65,000 square feet are leased, and the lease runs through June 2030. GraceWorks CEO Alicia Bell told Williamson Source how the organization plans to use the remaining time:

"The dream is still to own our own home, and we are using the remaining three-and-a-half years of this lease to scale our operations, experiment with processes, and fine-tune operations for when we move into that dream at the Banks at Brownland."

The Banks at Brownland is a mixed-use development proposed in Franklin. Brentwood-based developer BLVD Capital has offered to donate six acres for a permanent GraceWorks facility and to prepare the site, including a building pad, if the city approves the project. GraceWorks plans a capital campaign to help pay for construction. The proposal is still in public review. The City of Franklin held a neighborhood meeting on October 8. On October 22, Brownland was on the agenda of the joint Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Planning Commission conceptual workshop as a development plan for discussion, not as an item for approval.

For anyone donating this season, the location is settled through mid-2030. The donation area, sorting room, pantry and sales floor all stay at Southeast Parkway, and the Brownland site would be a later move. GraceWorks was founded in 1995 and provides food, clothing, housing support and financial assistance to Williamson County residents in need.

A holiday cleanout often comes before a bigger change, such as a move, a downsize or a renovation, and sorting what to keep from what to donate is usually the first step. If you're working out what your house needs before the next season, The Milam Group can help you plan the order of the work so it fits your calendar. Schedule a Personalized Market Consultation, and we'll start with the dates that matter to you.