For years, Lawrence’s thrift-shop economy has been dominated by Goodwill Industries and the Salvation Army.

But the Salvation Army closed its thrift store last week after giving up the lease at its 1818 Mass. location.

Now, instead of Lawrence having two large and high-profile thrift stores, it has one.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in donations,” said Cathy Nolan, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City, Mo.-based Helping Hand of Goodwill Industries, which runs six Goodwill stores in Kansas and seven in Missouri.

Nolan said she expected the Lawrence store, at 2200 W 31st St., to be able to handle the influx.

“We have measures in place to keep things moving,” she said. “Whatever we can’t get to in our Lawrence store we can always take to our other stores. And we have some storage options.”

Before the Salvation Army store closed, Nolan said Lawrence’s Goodwill store logged about 500 donations – large and small – each week.

Penn House sorter, Perry Hartman, Lawrence, begins folding clothes Wednesday at the thrift shop at 1035 Pa. Hartman and other employees are expecting a greater influx of donations now that the Salvation Army Thrift Store, formerly at 1818 Mass., has closed.

“We’re open seven days a week, so that works out to about 70 to 80 donations a day – that’s per person; it could be one person bringing in one item or one person with a truckload,” she said.

Nolan said Goodwill policies prevented the store from selling clothing that’s torn, soiled or missing buttons. These items, she said, are set aside for a distributor who buys them by the truckload for resale in Third World countries as either rags or clothing.

The store also discards clothing that’s wet or mildewed.

The Lawrence store’s profits, Nolan said, help finance Goodwill Industries employment programs for those in need and disabled.

“Donations are our life’s blood,” she said.

Several other thrift shops are hoping to see an increase in donations.

“We take children’s clothing – we don’t sell it, we give it to whoever needs it,” said Dianne Ensminger, executive director at the Ballard Community Center, 708 Elm.

Because of space limitations, Ballard does not accept adult clothing.

But other Lawrence charities do.

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“We take (adult clothing), we take just about anything,” said Linda Lassen, director of human relations at Penn House, 1035 Penn.

So, too, does the Lawrence Social Service League thrift shop, 905 R.I.

“The only things I can’t take are things like refrigerators and hide-a-beds. It’s not that we don’t want them, it’s because once they get here I can’t move them,” said Jean Ann Pike, manager at the service league’s thrift shop.

Lassen said she tried to coordinate furniture donations with those in need.

“What I try to do is get people to come in and pick something up the same day it’s brought in,” she said. “I try to keep a list of who needs what.”

St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church’s Rummage House, 1246 Ky., takes some furniture, household items and clothing of all kinds.

“That’s where we refer people to,” said Lequetta Diggs, director of Mother to Mother, a mentoring program aimed at helping young mothers.

Neither the Salvation Army shelter, 946 N.H., nor the Lawrence Community Shelter, 214 W. 10th St., accept donated items.

“We just don’t have the room,” said Loring Henderson, executive director at the community shelter. “We refer people to thrift shops.”

The Salvation Army Thrift Store continues to accept donations at a trailer parked on the northwest corner of 19th Street and Haskell Avenue. From there, donated items will be distributed to other Salvation Army stores in and around Kansas City, Kan.

The Salvation Army Thrift Store’s operations and revenues were separate from the organization’s shelter downtown.