I was raised by my grandma who is still living at the age of 94. We used
to go to thrift stores, and there was one in particular: St. Vincent de
Paul that was more than a thrift store, it was geared toward outreach.
St. Vincent de Paul helped families in crisis situations by offering
access to food, clothing, household items, basic utilities and more, but
it has since closed it’s doors. There were no other organizations or
businesses that filled the gap, so I woke up one morning and decided I
was going to open up a thrift-store/outreach center.
I took my 401(k), locked in a physical space, reached out to the Cedar Valley community for donations, and now we have a thrift store selling things at affordable prices. We also offer a food pantry and job center, consisting of a computer, and a fax machine so we can do on onboarding. Our business is more than a thrift store, it is also therapeutic, as we have some people come in and work in our space. I work with other outreach services that are making a difference in our community – including a program that takes care of shopping needs for those who are disabled and those who are elderly. I am proud of the training program we started for young adults. This program is geared toward teaching work ethic, and most importantly, showing love, caring for others, and being understanding at all times.
I took my 401(k), locked in a physical space, reached out to the Cedar Valley community for donations, and now we have a thrift store selling things at affordable prices. We also offer a food pantry and job center, consisting of a computer, and a fax machine so we can do on onboarding. Our business is more than a thrift store, it is also therapeutic, as we have some people come in and work in our space. I work with other outreach services that are making a difference in our community – including a program that takes care of shopping needs for those who are disabled and those who are elderly. I am proud of the training program we started for young adults. This program is geared toward teaching work ethic, and most importantly, showing love, caring for others, and being understanding at all times.