Freida Woerner, left, and Marie Blumeier, right, straightened a rack of children’s clothes at the Twice Blessed Bargains thrift store. The store, run by parishioners of St. Thomas More Church, is located on the corner of S. Third and Inverness streets.
Twice Blessed Bargains, a thrift shop at St. Thomas More Church, is not only serving the needs of residents of the South End of Louisville but providing the parish with extra income as well.
The store started out in one small room of the old church building that was used prior to the construction of the new church in 1965. Now that one room has blossomed into more than 2,800 square feet of space.
Beneath a sign that says “Many Hands. One Faith,” patrons enter the thrift store into an open space that is separated into different sections — holiday, children, household, books, shoes, men’s and women’s. Off the central room are smaller rooms and hallways — all filled with items — that are connected in a circular fashion.
The origins of the store began in 2009 when Marie Blumeier, a parishioner at St. Thomas More and a member of the parish finance committee, was asked to prepare an inventory of the church’s assets. As she began her catalog of items she found in the various church buildings (desks, bookcases, household items, etc.), she had the idea to hold a yard sale.
“As I began the inventory I saw a lot of things not being used and thought we could sell them,” Blumeier said.
As people of the parish got word of the sale, Blumeier was inundated with donations from parishioners. The inventory grew, and she expanded storage of the sale items into other available rooms. Not long after, Blumeier and a committee decided to open the thrift store.
Before the store officially opened, she said, $600 worth of goods had already been sold.
The shop, operated by Blumeier, Freida Woerner, Linda Bohr and Donna Sansone, is open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Most items in the store are priced at a quarter or 50 cents. Pants are usually $1.50; shirts are a dollar. Shoes are usually a quarter a pair.
“Most items are under $5,” Blumeier noted.
Blumeier and the other women who run the shop are meticulous about selecting quality goods and organizing the items to make the shopping enjoyable for those who stop by.
“Even though people may not be able to purchase things from department stores or Walmart or Target, they still deserve quality items just as much as anyone else does,” Blumeier noted.
The store is complete with circular clothing racks, mannequin forms, jewelry display cases and pegboard wall shelving — most donated from individuals or retail outlets that have closed or remodeled.
Patrons of Twice Blessed Bargains range from immigrants from the large, local refugee population in the South End to young men shopping for ties for school. Then there are those just seeking a bargain, Blumeier said.
“Many immigrants and refugees buy clothing to send back to their families from Cuba and Africa because they say the quality is better,” she noted.
Open for a little more than two years, the shop, located on the corner of S. Third and Inverness streets, has generated upwards of $26,000 — and all of the proceeds have gone to the general fund at the church.
However, the income is not the goal or even the most significant aspect of the thrift store, said Father Philip Erickson, pastor at St. Thomas More and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parishes.
“First and foremost it (Twice Blessed Bargains) is a reflection on the dedication to serving others,” he said. “Marie and others in the parish recognized that people in the neighborhood need our help.
“The least important aspect is that the store has helped make up the difference in what contributions are lacking because of the economy. The people of the South End are largely blue-collar workers, and they have been dramatically impacted by the economic situation in which we find ourselves,” he said.
Father Erickson noted that the thrift store has not only served the needs of the poor but has also served as a community-building project for the two clustered parishes of St. Thomas More and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.
“Many people recognize that when parishes are clustered, it hurts people’s sense of identity,” Father Erickson said. “The parishioners at Mt. Carmel and St. Thomas don’t think of each other as people from the other parish; they see them as brothers and sisters in Christ serving others.”
For those interested in donating items to Twice Blessed Bargains, contact the office at St. Thomas More Church at 366-1464 or stop by the shop during the hours of operation. Items that are especially popular are linens, towels, dishes, pots, pans and flatware. Items such as TVs, computers and furniture are discouraged because of space constraints.
By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer