Green Diamond Emporium in Belleville will close

The Green Diamond Emporium located at 732 S. Illinois St. in Belleville is closing.

Chestnut Health Systems, which runs the thrift shop, made the announcement Thursday and said in a statement that the store would close June 12.

The closure will result in the loss of “several” full- and part-time jobs. The store employs individuals with mental illnesses to provide a skill building environment.

“Under the current stressed economic conditions for not-for-profit organizations like Chestnut, the thrift store was no longer financially viable,” a statement from Chestnut mental health services director Amy Gibbar said.

“We are eternally grateful to the many loyal customers and donors who supported the Emporium for almost three decades. We greatly appreciate having had the opportunity to serve our Belleville and St. Clair County community and take great pride in the many accomplishments achieved by our employees who build skills and achieved recovery goals while making the Emporium a success.”

Once known as the Hilltop Emporium, the shop began in 1986 at the corner of East Main and Jackson streets in downtown Belleville but was destroyed by a fire in 2010 that investigators said was an arson. It then relocated to the current site.

“For the past 33 years, the store not only provided an important retail source for the Belleville community but served to build the skills of persons living with mental health challenges,” the statement said. “Over the years, there were countless success stories as a result of this unique rehabilitative setting.”

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Green Diamond Emporium in Belleville will close."