The Nearly New Shoppe was opened in 1966 by Doris Schraer. It was initially named “Next to New”, but Doris soon changed the name to The Nearly New Shoppe. The store was initially located on 23rd and Central in a small location that consigned mainly clothing. The store then moved to 14th and Grand, in the Albertson’s shopping center. From there, Doris moved the store to a small building where she had the store upstairs and a “figure salon” downstairs.
After that location, Doris moved the store to her home for the next couple of years. She had racks of clothing in her large basement living room. There are still customers coming to the store today who would visit Doris in her basement consignment store!
Many may remember the store at its 24th and Broadwater location where it was for about 5 years. Doris would go to the store at 4:30am every couple of weeks to put new scriptures on the large store sign. This was an inspirational gesture felt by Billings residents for years.
In 1992, The Nearly New Shoppe moved to its current location at 801 14th Street West. At this location, Doris was able to expand her store to include more households, furniture, and linens.
The Nearly New Shoppe is now owned by Doris’ daughter Linda. Linda has owned the store since 2007. Currently you can find Linda or her daughter Angela running the store, with an occasional visit by Doris (to catch up with old friends).