- The Fretail store, a nonprofit that provides free essential items, is set to close following a dispute with the Lansing Mall over its location.
- Many community members, including veterans and families, rely on the store for necessities like clothing, diapers, and hygiene products.
- Watch the video above to see the impact the store has on neighbors.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Outside the Lansing Mall along Saginaw Highway, there are many stores—but only one where everything is free.
That would be the Fretail store, but it's planning to close soon, affecting many neighbors, including David Wondergem.
"What has this store given you?"
"Hope, when I lost everything I had," said Wondergem, a veteran who has struggled with medical bills after family members underwent cancer treatment.
He takes the bus from Lansing’s south side to the Fretail store to get necessities for himself, his family, and his friends.
"Clothing, for me, in particular, it’s about socks and gloves and hats," said Wondergem.
But the store offers more than just clothing. Joanna Halfacre, a mother who was previously living in her car, says the store has been a vital resource for her children.
"They’ve helped me with diapers, they’ve helped me with pull-ups, they’ve helped me with wipes," said Halfacre.
Now, the store is closing following a dispute with the Lansing Mall over its current location.
Last week, Lansing Mall management stated that the decision to ask Fretail to move within the mall was "driven solely by the desire to support the nonprofit’s continued growth."
Fretail store founder Mike Karl doesn’t agree.
"I don't know how it fits our clientele better. If this store is full every day and we have exceeding lines, how is a smaller store with lines outside the door really going to be better for our clientele?" said Karl.
For Halfacre, the closing brings disappointment and uncertainty as she doesn’t know where she’ll go next.
"I’m really upset because I feel like there’s a lot of people in here that are genuinely trying their best to help the community and get people back to where they need to be."
Wondergem shares the sentiment.
"You said this store gives you hope. Are you losing any of that hope now that this store is going?"
"It puts a question mark in the back of my military mind." Said Wondergem.
Karl says the store will be open for additional days next week to distribute as much as possible before officially closing at the end of next month.
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