DEMOPOLIS &045; The Bargain Box will reopen its doors to the public for the first time since the Nov. 30 tornado tore off its roof this Thursday.

Though the majority of the damage inflicted by the storm to the store was limited structural damage of the roof, later rains damaged a good bit of the merchandise in the store said Demopolis Council of Church Women member Kitty Eddins.

The roof was repaired with no cost incurred by the non-profit organization, which is run by the Demopolis Council of Women Church Women. Eddins said the store was repaired and new additions installed during the reconstruction following the storm.

Eddins said the group had to remove mildew and mold that gained a foothold in the store after rain came through the wrecked roof. She said though insurance paid for the repairs the store has suffered losses due to the two months of downtime it has had to endure as repairs were made.

Eddins said the two-month loss would hinder the organization from providing all of the seven scholarships it had planned for the year. But she said the organization wasn’t hit too hard financially by the loss.

Eddins said the organization has continued to receive donations for the store, which are sold at low prices to customers. She said the store is being stocked and will be ready for the reopening 9 a.m. on Thursday. She said it would then resume regular store hours, 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Saturday.

Eddins said the organization was started in the early 1980s and moved to its current location in 1995 following a fire at the first store, which was a total loss. She said the group came out of that situation all right and will be fine after this situation.