Ypsilanti resale shop

The Ypsilanti Resale Shop opened in November of 2010. The Shop’s location is 800 Railroad Street Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197. The YPS Foundation, a non-profit sector of Ypsilanti Public School District, opened the shop to raise funds and give to the community. The site serves as a bus garage and maintenance shop, as well as the present home for the YPS Foundation’s store.
Current Information
This Resale Shop's profits all go toward funding for student scholarships as well as mini-grants for teachers. The average scholarship is around $500 and the average mini-grant is around $500 as well. Annually the foundation supplies around 35 scholarships and grants.
The shop obtains items through tax-deductable donations (except mattresses) as well as surplus from the school district. The shop also serves as a source of clothing and house wares free of charge for families in need from the area.
History of 800 Railroad St.
800 Railroad Street gained its address upon construction in 1910. The locally owned and managed company Lewis-Geer Manufacturing first occupied the space to make lawn and porch furniture. They became an automotive manufacturing company in 1918, however by 1924 they had switched to manufacturing coaster wagons. The site became vacant in 1933 during the great depression. In 1936 the Hammond Aircraft Corp. used the space to manufacture Glider aircrafts for one short year (there was a glider runway south of Willow Run Airport). In 1937 the Wood-Owen Trailer Co. made trailers there for a year then went out of business and again the building was empty for two years. In 1940 Babcock & Malcom adopted the space, a year later it became home to Huron Felt Products Co. With the coming of WWII in 1942, Central Specialty Co. had a plant there manufacturing parts for, and servicing, military vehicles. Eventually they adopted the name King-Seely Corp. and began a thermos manufacturing operation in 1962. The Central Specialty div. of King-Seely started sharing the warehouse with the Ypsilanti Board of Education in 1968. From 1972 until current, the Ypsilanti Public School District occupies the building with their bus maintenance shop and garage.

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