BREMERTON — Shoppers are thronging the new St. Vincent de Paul Super Store to buy gently used items, resulting in more funds to support the nonprofit organization’s community services.

The SVdP thrift store, which has a voucher program to provide essential items from the store for people in need, distributed about $23,000 worth of clothing and household goods to the community in 2022, according to Katie Silva, director of giving for St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton.

“The money all goes to support our services in the community, and it stays in the community because there’s a huge need here,” Silva said.

Job seekers who may not be able to afford clothing for job interviews can receive a voucher that allows them to select two of each item needed — such as two tops and two skirts or pants, Silva said. Vouchers can also be used to obtain necessary household items when people are setting up new homes.

The vouchers, given with no questions asked, resemble credit cards so recipients using them don’t stand out from other shoppers at the thrift store, Silva said.

Money raised from sales at the store also helps fund the 22-bed Birkenfeld Stella Maris House for women and children emerging from crisis situations and provides “24-hour packs” in plastic bags for people experiencing homelessness. The need for those $12 bundles of food (plus hand warmers often given out in winter months) has spiked, Silva said. Previously, the store distributed about 125 packs each month, but that’s jumped to 200 monthly, she said.

Mannequins donated by JCPenney in Silverdale are put to use in the new St. Vincent de Paul Super Store in Bremerton. (Courtesy Katie Silva)

Some customers visit the new 27,000-square-foot location in Bremerton’s Wheaton Mall every day to check out the newest donations in the hunt for bargains, or duck in for a few minutes to escape the heat or cold, Silva said. Other customers are collectors searching for unique items.

“Everything we sell is donated. Because we’re (now) in a more traveled location, we’re getting more donations,” Silva said.

Bigger and better

The store’s original location on Callow Avenue opened around 1987, Silva said. The organization decided to move the thrift store to a location that provides more visibility, while keeping the SVdP food bank and assistance office operations at the Callow Avenue location, she said.

The new space at 3449 Wheaton Way is 50 percent bigger than the old store, with increased floor space for clothing and household items, specialty sections devoted to new and vintage jewelry, and a boutique for upscale clothing brands.

Moving the store took a week in March, Silva said. The SVdP collection trucks were filled with clothing racks, shelves and mannequins donated by JCPenney in Silverdale. Volunteers from the Knights of Columbus at Holy Trinity and Our Lady Star of the Sea parishes contributed muscle power to the effort, moving all the contents from the old store and JCPenney’s donations. 

At the store’s April 11 dedication, Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler acknowledged the “enormous dedication” of the St. Vincent de Paul organization to his community.

“The assistance you provide to serving others, feeding the hungry, providing shelter and meeting human needs is important in our community,” the mayor said in a speech during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Silva said the community is very generous with contributions, especially clothing. But more donations of furniture, household items and jewelry (which sells well) are needed. With the pandemic over, the store’s collection trucks are starting to pick up donations again, and Silva said she expects that will increase the store’s stock.

Shoppers “just love the new store,” Silva said, “because It’s bright and clean and customers have more room to peruse what we have.”

Pickups of gently used items from residents of Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston and Gorst can be arranged by calling SVdP at 360-377-2929.