MICHIGAN CITY – Having an abundance of volunteers and greeting a nearly constant stream of donations is the kind of “good problem” that coordinators at St. Mary’s Resale Shop have been dealing with for decades.
On a cold January morning, the longtime shop manager of what is more commonly known as “St. Mary’s Thrift Store” noticed three bags of fresh clothing donations before she even put her key into the door lock. Mary Davis entered one of several rooms on the first floor of the former St. Mary Elementary School, ready to talk about her “second family” and the clothing and household items ministry.
Additional advertising and social media usage has kept the shop name on the minds of many Northwest Indiana bargain shoppers. As donations have picked up, so too has volunteerism, fulfilling the adage “many hands make light work.”
“I’ve had to double the capacity of our workers,” said the shop manager. “They kind of come to us and say, ‘(We’ve seen) that you guys have so much fun here.’ A lot of people who shop here, we know them by their first names.”
As the Christmas season wound down and gales of January swept cold air across Lake Michigan, Davis, who has managed the store for 15 years, began to prioritize the collection, sorting and display of winter items, especially well-insulated coats.
Davis also stocked a rack of coats at the basement entrance of the sister ministry, Sacred Heart Food Pantry, which serves the hungry on Wednesdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and on Fridays from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Those clothing articles are free to whomever needs them.
Otherwise, shop items ranging from small decorative lighthouses to trendy designer jeans, to that missing Cars album one is looking to replace, are set at “very affordable” prices. Davis said that donated goods are priced with consideration of how difficult it has been, especially for low-income residents, to afford the basics of life in an inflationary economy.
“So many people still come in and say, ‘I never knew you were here,’ … and we’ve been here for almost 50 years,” said Davis, (former) St. Mary grade school alumna.
St. Mary thrift shop has expanded to several former classrooms on the first floor and operates alongside other charitable agencies and artists from throughout the metropolitan area who manage studios and boutiques. A secure donation drop box is located near the building for 24/7 usage.
The parish store was born in America’s bicentennial year, 1976. A sort of successor of a St. Vincent de Paul charity, a group of mainly women stepped up when it was apparent that there was a generation gap leading to a deficit of volunteerism, according to St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception historian Patricia “Pat” Harris, a lifetime member of Michigan City’s oldest church.
“Somebody else had to do the job and volunteers started the St. Mary’s thrift shop and they were recycling clothing and various household items to help any parishioner at a nominal cost,” Harris said. “I know, over the years, if there was really somebody in trouble, they would just give something to them.”
In the early years, St. Mary thrifters set up shop in a home across from the church where Marquette Catholic High School’s Scholl Center presently stands. By 1999, the crew relocated to the parish rectory basement.
Harris, who is also a longtime shop volunteer, explained that her collaborators have been smart in creating an effective processing and inventory system. The organization usually allows for some outstanding items to go to the top of the bill. “Somebody told me they even had a donated wedding dress at one point.”
Davis pointed to mannequin heads with hand-painted expressions that sport an eclectic assortment of headwear. She explained that clothes are arranged in sections intended for males, females and children. Bins hold small items. A hint of obsessive-compulsive tendency shows up in how some sections of shirts are batched by color.
“There’s a group of us that come every week to kind of prepare for the days when we are open,” Davis said. “I think I try to limit the time here, because I don’t want to get overwhelmed with things.”
Davis and Harris both said the efforts at the shop are a labor of love and any concern about the workload is usually eased by the arrival of new volunteers, such as a “young man in his 20s” who recently called looking to help and utilize his previous thrift store experience.
A retired x-ray technologist and ultra stenographer, Davis originally arrived on the thrift store scene when she came to support an older sister who was in the midst of dementia. “She is one of my twin siblings, and her other twin works here, also.”
Davis said she and her volunteers will continue to smartly manage the shop, knowing it would be a shame to lose something good that reaches so many people where they are spiritually, psychologically or physically.
Harris believes the resourcefulness of volunteers and the commitment of church leaders show a sustainability to the endeavor.
“The nice thing is that we’re using our buildings; we’re not just letting them sit empty,” Harris said. “We use them to service the people. We have a growing food pantry and a thrift shop where a lot of people are able to get something nice that they could never afford (new) or that they need.”
St. Mary’s Resale Shop is open to the public on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. For more information about donations, volunteering or shop features, call (219) 872-7494.
Various other volunteer-powered ministries in the diocese offer a selection of clothing and other essential items at modest prices. Some of those include:
Moms and Tots Resale Shop, 110 W. Main St., Griffith
(219) 595-5457
Hours: Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Thursdays from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sacred Heart Thrift Shop, 1723 LaPorte Ave., Whiting
(219) 659-0733
Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
St. Paul Clothing Center, 1853 Harrison Blvd, Valparaiso
(219) 462-0074
saintpaulvalpo.org/clothing-center
Hours: Mondays, Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m.
Thursdays & Fridays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Caption: St. Mary’s Thrift Shop manager Mary Davis discovers a sweater among other women’s fashions at the ministry in Michigan City on Jan. 6. The thrift shop, which was founded in 1976, has been housed in three locations, presently on the first floor of the former St. Mary Elementary School, and is known for its wide variety of clothing and household items offered at low prices. (Anthony D. Alonzo photo)