SWAMPSCOTT — Big Blue Bargains is in need of a new location, as it will have to vacate its Humphrey Street location by the end of April.

The thrift store has had a presence in Swampscott since 2012, and has donated to local groups such as Friends of Swampscott Senior Center and Friends of Swampscott Library.

According to founder Kristen Dishman, the business has given more than $100,000 to multiple schools throughout its existence to help fund programs such as cultural enrichment activities and field trips.

“We had mostly school parent volunteers,” Dishman explained. “So we gave back to every school based on their volunteer hours.”

The store’s headquarters were located in the back of Swampscott Middle School for the first nine years of its existence, but Dishman said the COVID-19 pandemic caused that to come to an end in 2021.

“The building pretty much got neglected, there were rats and leaks in the ceiling of the room,” Dishman said. “I said we can’t have volunteers coming in unless we have a new space, so we never reopened there.”

She added that her store collaborated with Anchor Food Pantry with a request for proposal for both organizations to move into the former police station on Burrill Street, however the town only accepted the proposal for the pantry.

Big Blue has been in its current location since last September. Dishman expressed gratitude to resident Charlie Patsios for offering Dishman and her peers the space rent-free, as long as they paid for the insurance.

“We opened there at the end of September knowing that it could be temporary,” Dishman said. “He (Patsios) just gave us notice a couple of days ago that the new buyers would not let us stay.”

At the Select Board’s most recent meeting, one of Big Blue Bargains’ newest board members, Rachel Taradash, took to the microphone during public comment to raise awareness about the current situation of the business, point out the local causes it has contributed to, and explain why she feels having a physical location is crucial to its operations.

“I’m here to ask for your help in finding our new location,” Taradash said. “It doesn’t have to be forever. We need our next space.”