Not your regular thrift store
St. Patrick's parish flea market returns as Vinnie's
Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
When Betty Curtis began volunteering at the flea market at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church five years ago, she needed a friend.
Mary O'Brien, left, Mark Needham and Betty Curtis have been working away at setting up the St. Patrick's Vinnie's Thrift Store on Old Airport Road for its grand opening on April 1. - Kirsten Fenn/NNSL photo |
"A very close friend," she added, looking over with a smile at fellow volunteer Mary O'Brien, a veteran of almost a decade.
Curtis' husband had just passed away and the flea market community welcomed her like family.
But after a fire damaged the church hall and the beloved flea market along with it last June, Curtis was left feeling like she was back at square one.
"I just thought I'd have to start all over," she said.
This Saturday, the St. Patrick's flea market is making a comeback in a slightly different form when the parish opens the doors of a new thrift store, St. Patrick's Vinnie's, on Old Airport Road.
"They're very happy," said Mark Needham of the store's two staff and "real heroes" - Curtis and O'Brien.
Needham is the project manager for the thrift store and the local Society of St. Vincent de Paul president, which Vinnie's gets its name after.
"They just love their new space because it's bright, it's airy, it's a fresh start," he said.
Since January, Needham, Curtis and O'Brien have been working from scratch to get the new store off the ground.
"We walked in here and we had nothing," said Needham.
They began ordering clothing racks, shelving, pens and labeling guns - "just the whole gamut," according to Needham.
Then they spread the word that the church was looking for donations by setting up posters around town.
"(The flea market) was very different in that it was kind of dark and dingy ... and there was a lot of stuff in there," Needham said, explaining it offered everything from books to sporting equipment to games for children and DVDs.
This time, staff are limiting accepted donations to clean clothing, non-appliance kitchenware, jewelry, clean bedding and towels.
That means Vinnie's won't be taking any furniture, beds, mattresses or appliances, books, DVDs, sporting goods, camping equipment or tools.
"Clothing, knick-knacks and houseware is the lion's share of what we sell here, and by having all these other items it became cluttered and we also couldn't focus on doing a really good job on those," Needham said.
"We're really hoping that message gets out, that we don't accept stuff just dumped at our door."
Vinnie's will celebrate its grand opening this weekend with "a cake and a few other little celebrations," according to Needham, after which point the store will open its doors to the public from Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
While Vinnie's is still getting on its feet, Needham hopes it will eventually be able to do more for the community. That could mean everything from giving food or clothing vouchers to people in need, or sending clothing donations to other communities across the territory.
"We have to be a viable business to pay our bills, but we're really looking to be an outreach program for the local community, for the St. Vincent de Paul folks and for some of the communities as well," Needham said.
O'Brien said people have been welcoming the Vinnie's thrift store with open arms, because it's more than just a store - it's family.
"I wake up every morning and I have the energy for here because I feel it's giving back to the community that helped me," O'Brien said. "It's not just your regular thrift store."
