The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store has been a destination for bargain hunters in Peterborough since the late 1960s.
Re-branded as Vinnies in mid-2011, the store moved to Erskine Avenue. It’s now setting up a new location in the village of Lakefield just north of Peterborough.
“We were looking for more space in Peterborough and we weren’t successful and this came up,” said Vinnies’ chairman Michael Warren. “It also gives us the chance to expand into Lakefield and create employment also for Lakefield.”
The new store on Queen Street will be at the former site of The Movie People which closed last December. The Lakefield Vinnies will be stocked with everything the original spot has except furniture.
Funds raised help support the food bank in Peterborough.
Vinnies will join Renewed Classics, another thrift shop that has been here more than 20 years and raises money for next door Selwyn Public Library.
“All the money that they raise from donated items and the volunteer work supports the library and goes toward children’s programming and enhanced library services,” said librarian Kacie Gardiner
Vinnies is set to open on Jan. 3.
“We are planning on working with them,” said Gardiner. “We are going to be meeting with them in January just to talk about how to work together and hopefully both be serving the community.”
The Lakefield location will be the 40th Vinnies in the province. Last year, the Catholic charity helped 20,000 families without any outside funding.
“The need is great, especially in Peterborough right now with GE closing and the food bank usage is going up every month,” said Warren. “And Vinnies funds the food bank. And Lakefield people have access to that food bank in Peterborough. This gives us the opportunity to create more funds to buy more food for the food bank. It’s a sign of the times, we think.”
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