LEWISTON — Bed bugs. Flooding. Fire. You can’t keep the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store volunteers down — or their store closed — for long.

After turning another adversity into another triumph, the thrift shop is reopening Monday, Oct. 5, in a new location, 276 Main St., two doors away from Sam’s Italian Foods.

Shop manager Pauline Marsh leads between 28 to 30 volunteers who operate the store. In July 2014, they closed the Ash Street store after an upstairs apartment tenant bombed her bedbugs, which sent the nasty things scurrying into the thrift shop and its inventory, Marsh said.

“Closing our store and throwing everything out was a big job,” she said.

Not too many braved the bedbugs to clean out the store.

“To be safe, everything had to be thrown out,” she said. “It just broke our hearts.”

Thousands of dollars of beautiful clothing and goods went in a dumpster. Some could have been saved, Marsh said, but it wasn’t worth the risk.

The search began for a new property to house the store — their fourth since the first Lewiston St. Vincent shop opened in 1971. Each time they had to move it “always due to unfortunate circumstances,” Marsh said. One place burned down. Another store was flooded. The third, invaded by bed bugs.

Finding a new location took a year. They wanted to remain downtown, close to the poor who often lack transportation.

“We tried to stay on this side of Main Street, but we could not find anyplace that didn’t have a bed bug problem or was large enough, or was wheelchair accessible,” Marsh said.

At times, they were discouraged — but they were determined.

“I’d pray to St. Vincent, telling him, ‘You have to speak to the big guy and help us find a place,'” Marsh said. “‘People are going to forget us!’”

They were ecstatic when they found the Main Street property. They spent three months spent getting the space ready.

“It’s going to be a very good location,” Marsh said, adding their landlord has been helpful.

The store’s hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Volunteers who run the thrift shop are members of the Prince of Peace Catholic Parish, “but we are autonomous,” Marsh said. “We don’t depend on the church for money.”

Volunteers also help people who have lost their job or possessions after a fire, give out large Christmas food baskets and provide scholarships to local graduates.

There are charitable St. Vincent thrift shops around the country. More than 40 years ago, the Rev. Paul Gleason started the Lewiston store “because he saw a dire need to give a helping hand to people in the downtown area.”

The Ash Street store was a social gathering for those who lived alone and could use someone to talk to, Marsh said. Some stopped in every day to enjoy candy on the counter, check out the merchandise and say hello.

“We knew them by their first names,” Marsh said. “We became friends.” 

Before she retired, Marsh worked at the Hallmark Store at the Auburn Mall. She said she volunteers because she enjoys helping people.

“It’s so wonderful having people come in,” she said. “People are so grateful for help we give them.”

bwashuk@sunjournal.com

LEWISTON — The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store operates on donations selling kitchen ware, bedding, jewelry, shoes, purses and clothing.

Most items sell from 75 cents (children’s clothing) to $6 (nice adult coat). A pot or pan, for instance, sells from $3 to $5 depending on the condition. “We provide goods to those who need it at a price they can afford,” said store manager Pauline Marsh.

While manned by 28 to 30 volunteers, help is often spread thin, Marsh said. Anyone interested in volunteering one morning or one afternoon a week should stop in and talk about it.

Donations of small-sized goods are accepted. Furniture or electronics are not accepted.

When the new 276 Main St. store opens Oct. 5, the hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; 9-noon Saturdays. The store’s phone number is 753-1555.

A celebration and blessing of the store by Monsignor Marc Caron is planned for 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7.