NORWICH – Norwich’s Salvation Army Thrift Store, which has been a fixture on South Broad Street for three decades, will be closing its doors on June 24.

The store’s three full-time and two part-time employees learned Thursday that the organization’s regional office had made the decision to close the store because of financial reasons.

“It was quite a shock to us,” said Store Manager Myra Frost, who said she hadn’t even known they were considering closing the store.

Frost said she is concerned about the impact the thrift store’s closing will have on the community. With people struggling to make ends meet in the difficult economy, she said the store’s goods and services are more in demand now than ever.

“More and more people are shopping (here) because that is all they can afford,” she explained.