Bigger, better St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store opens in Perryville to fund assistance for neighbors in need

Photos by Jacob Wiegand | jacobwiegand@archstl.org Claire Anderson, 5, showed off a dress as her mother, Christine Anderson, took a photo and her brother, Jake Anderson, 8, attempted a photobomb Aug. 1 at the new thrift store of the Perryville conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The family attends St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Perryville and St. Rose of Lima in Silver Lake.

New complex combines store and space to meet with people seeking assistance

Laura Kosta

Submitted on August 8, 2025

The St. Vincent de Paul Society conference in Perryville has opened the doors of a new thrift store to serve the community and fund assistance for neighbors in need.

Several dozen Vincentian volunteers, business leaders and community members attended a grand opening ribbon-cutting and blessing of the store July 28, braving the heat to celebrate the milestone. Conference president Andy Graf, who oversaw the project, couldn’t stop beaming.

“Our mission is to grow in holiness while supporting the poor,” Graf told those gathered. “And why would we do that? To seek and serve all in need so that people are inspired to grow closer to Christ.”

From right, Loretta Kincaid, Janet Murray and Amber Smith entered the new thrift store of the Perryville conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul on Aug. 1. Money raised at the store goes to supporting the conference’s outreach to the community such as assistance with utilities, rent and medications.

The new thrift store complex comprises a renovated round-top building with a newly constructed addition. Besides the store, it includes a basement warehouse area, space to receive and sort donations and offices where Vincentians hold drop-in hours for people seeking assistance, as well as 30 off-street parking spaces.

The previous St. Vincent de Paul thrift store, office space and warehouse were all in separate locations. The store, founded in 2003, was cramped — with no room to grow — and difficult for people with mobility issues to navigate, Graf said.

Proceeds from the thrift store go directly to helping people in need in Perry County. Requests for assistance from their conference have been increasing by 6-10% each year for the past few years, Graf said. “Our income was starting to get awfully close to what we spent, and we’ve never had to turn anybody away. And that little store couldn’t generate any more than it was generating.”

The conference raised $1.1 million in corporate and individual donations to fund the project, tapping into the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Neighborhood Assistance Program that allowed them to solicit donations from businesses who would, in turn, receive a 70% tax credit. They are now working to raise an additional $400,000 to build a furniture warehouse behind the thrift store.

Perryville mayor Larry Riney praised the Vincentians at the store’s grand opening. “This isn’t just a thrift store; it’s a place where every purchase and donation directly supports our neighbors in need,” he said. “…Here, every purchase has a purpose. Every donation makes a difference, from helping families in crisis, providing food, housing and other essential support, this store turns everyday generosity into hope and healing.”

Riddick Ely walked past a statue of St. Vincent de Paul to exit after shopping with his great-grandmother Sandy Bone, left, and grandmother Misty Gore on Aug. 1 at the new thrift store of the Perryville conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

The conference purchased the building and lot in 2022, and time and time again, God provided the right people and the right connections to see the project through, Graf said.

“I talked to our pastor at St. Vincent Church, and the first time I was talking about doing this he goes, ‘Just make sure it isn’t your plan — make sure it’s God’s,’” Graf said. “So every step of the way I would pray, ‘OK, God, give me some sign that this is what we should do, where we should spend more and where we shouldn’t.’”

“Over and over again, people would open their hearts and their finances to help us out.”

The first thing he bought for the new store was a statue of St. Vincent de Paul, which now sits on an oak pedestal in the center of the store foyer, the very first thing a customer sees when entering the building. Behind the statue is a wall-sized print of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with loaves and fishes.

“We’re not just about paying someone’s electric bill, or paying their utility bill, or helping them with rent. We want to spread the Gospel through personal interaction,” Graf said. “You go into a lot of thrift stores and the first thing you see are counters and clothes and everything else. So it’s just part of our mission, when you walk through the door…you’re going to say, I’m entering in a thrift shop that helps those in need.”

Ellen Westmoreland dressed a mannequin Aug. 1 at the new thrift store of the Perryville conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Perryville. Westmoreland is a parishioner at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Perryville.

Cheryl Hotop and Carol Klaus were among Vincentian volunteers manning the checkout counter, cheerfully greeting customers and chatting with them about their purchases.

The thrift store is run entirely by a team of about 65 volunteers who staff the store five days a week. Working in the store is another opportunity to get to know people in the community and offer assistance if needed, Hotop said.

“Sometimes they’ll tell you what’s happening in their lives, and sometimes it’s not pretty…we can offer them our prayers, and then see if there is some place we know, a resource that they can go to if they haven’t been there already,” she said.

With the attached conference offices, they’re also able to walk people over to get assistance right away, Klaus added.

“I’ve been able to escort them up here and assure them that somebody will listen to them and help,” she said.

St. Vincent de Paul Society National Council chief executive officer Michael Acaldo was among other leaders from the national and St. Louis councils who made the trip down to Perryville for the grand opening.

“Our members are called to grow in holiness by serving Christ in our neighbor in need, so this is a great opportunity for (the Perryville conference) to expand what they’re doing here locally,” Acaldo said. “And what a great place to do it, in Perryville, where the Vincentian heart and charism is alive and well.”