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Arkansas mom buys out closing Payless store to donate 1,500 pairs of shoes

What started as a joke has turned into an act of kindness that keeps on growing.

ALMA, Ark. — An Arkansas mom took advantage of the going-out-of-business sale at her local Payless shoe store—all to benefit people in need in her community.

She ended up buying 1,500 pairs of shoes.

Carrie Jernigan was at the store in Alma, Arkansas—just northeast of Fort Smith—last week when her daughter saw a pair of shoes she wanted to buy for a friend. Harper Jernigan said she had noticed his shoes were too small.

“I know he likes Avengers, so I saw some Avengers shoes and I said, ‘Hey mom, can we get these shoes for one of my friends?’” said Harper, who’s a 4th grader.

Without knowing what size shoe Harper’s friend wore, Jernigan jokingly asked how much it would cost to buy out the rest of the shoes in the store.

That turned into Jernigan literally buying out the store—no joke.

The Payless location had just received a new shipment and ended up selling 1,500 pairs of shoes to Jernigan.

The stacks of shoes inside the Jernigan home are now taller than Harper herself. And the act of kindness just keeps on growing.

The family is planning to donate the shoes, but their good deed isn’t stopping there. They had so many people reach out wanting to pitch in their own donations, that the family has decided to throw a back-to-school bash the weekend before classes begin.

"That's what it's all about. In the grand scheme of things in this country, this is a tiny blip, but if it continues to grow and it just, it makes you do one little thing for that student fixin' to go back to school then it matters to that one kid," Jernigan said.

KNWA contributed to this story.

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