St. Vincent de Paul closes thrift store

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press
The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift store at 507 Park Ave. in Worcester was put up for sale for $285,000 last week, according to Susan Treveloni, president of the diocesan council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and a member of St. Mary Parish in North Grafton.
The business officially closed April 3 after being shut down in March due to coronavirus restrictions, she said.
The hope is to reopen in a better location where a thrift store could generate more revenue to support the society’s parish conferences in their charitable works, she said.
Mrs. Treveloni said members of the diocesan council had been discussing ways to increase funds for this ministry at the parish level, and were all leaning toward finding a new location for the small thrift store, which is sandwiched between other buildings, with a small parking lot in back. When they had to close the store because of the coronavirus, losing money in the process, they unanimously decided that it was a good opportunity to take that step, she said.
“When one door closes, God opens another,” she said.  “So, we look at closing the store in a positive light, confident we will find the right location at the right price and start anew.”
It might take a year or two, she said. They haven’t started looking, as they want to get through the pandemic first.
She said they need a bigger space that is easier to get into, and that, with the right location and traffic, they can make a profit, despite competition from other thrift stores that have opened in the city since this one started decades ago.
St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores in the Boston Archdiocese are profitable and Vincentians there have offered to help open a new one here, Mrs. Treveloni said. She also looks to use proceeds from the sale of the building to help in buying another place.
They have no mortgage on the Park Avenue building, but they were paying bills, a full-time staff member and three part-timers during the coronavirus shutdown, she said.
“It could turn out that we don’t have a store,” she said. “A store is one way to produce revenue,” but there are other ways. 
A thrift store gives St. Vincent de Paul a presence in the community, provides clothing and other items at discount prices for those with limited incomes (and anyone else wishing to shop there) and gives free items to those presenting vouchers from the parish conferences, Mrs. Treveloni said. It’s also a business trying to make a profit to fund the society’s ministries.
The diocesan council is there to support the parish conferences – “that’s where the heart and soul of the work we do is going on,” she said. People come to the parish-based St. Vincent de Paul groups for needs such as food, from parish food pantries, and paying bills. Vincentians visit homes to assess the situation before paying bills directly to companies.
“We’re promoting spirituality, friendship and services – those are our core values,” Mrs. Treveloni said. She said members, who are lay Catholics, not social workers, try to help people transition out of difficult situations, and refer them for additional help elsewhere if needed.
The St. Vincent de Paul society is a worldwide organization which began in Paris is 1833, and in 1845 came to the United States, where it is headquartered in St. Louis, Mrs. Treveloni said.
Under the national office are regions of the country, to which diocesan councils report, she said. Under Worcester’s diocesan council are the three district councils, and, under them, 24 parish conferences.
 Mrs. Treveloni is president of the diocesan council, which includes a vice president, secretary and treasurer. Their board members are the district presidents. Together they make executive decisions.