August 7, 2009
St. Vincent de Paul
Stores gain customers thanks to economic downturn
Tim Nalin, the new manager of the St. Vincent de Paul Store in Evansville, is joined by Juanita Harris, a 24-year employee. Click for a larger version.
By MARY ANN HUGHES (Message staff writer)
Tim Nalin has spent so much of his life, since his teenage years in fact, volunteering with the St. Vincent de Paul Society that his friends now call him “Mr. Vincent.”
“On and off, since I was in my teens making calls with my mother, I’ve been involved with St. Vincent de Paul,” he said. This June, Tim added one more connection to the society. He’s now the manager of the Evansville store.
It’s not a difficult job for him. For the last 31 years, he worked in retail management. He accepted this job because “I was at a place in my life with my kids gone and that I could take a salary cut. Now I can do what I enjoy doing, assisting the needy and the poor.”
He’s come into the downtown Evansville facility with a keen eye as to what needs to be done, the ability to work with employees and volunteers, and with an understanding that the future may be different from the present.
He’s also come into the store in a time of economic downtown, and he says there has been a 15 percent increase in sales. “We are seeing a lot of new faces. We see the same familiar faces, but now we are seeing a lot of new ones too. It definitely has to do with the economy.”
Right now shoppers are concentrating on buying back to school items for their children. There is also a demand for work clothes. “Some may have spent a year in jail or in prison, and they have nothing.”
The store is filled with donated clothing and shoes, as well as furniture, bedding and appliances. It’s bursting at the seams with donated items. That’s why there are expansion projects under consideration, one in the immediate future and the others down the road. “We have just acquired four lots, and our immediate need is for parking.”
He is also hoping to convert 1,200 feet of warehouse space into retail floor space before the end of the year. Furniture and appliances would be stored in this area, allowing the current store to house more clothing and other soft retail items such as shoes and books. He estimates that by using all volunteer labor, the project could be completed for $3,000 to $4,000.
There is also a plan to eventually add 2,000 square feet to the back of the store, and down the road, there may be a second store location, perhaps in an older strip mall in Evansville. This store wouldn’t have furniture or appliance.
When he looks at the store operation, he says, “We want to grow it. All the profit goes back into the conference.”
Because the store is surrounded by a tall metal fence, and the gates are locked when the store is not open, people cannot leave items after business hours. That means the amount of un-sellable items is small. “We get very little,” he said. The clothing and shoes that do not sell are bundled up and sent to St. Louis. There they are shipped to Third World counties.
The store offers pick-up services in Posey, Warrick and Vanderburgh counties and in Fort Branch and Haubstadt in Gibson County. “We also do estates,” he said, explaining that “if you put mom in a nursing home, we can come in.”
He said the store is always looking for volunteers, adding that the paid workers and the volunteers are “like family.”
For additional information, call (812-425-3148.
Jasper
John Friedman has been the manager at the St. Vincent de Paul Store in Jasper for five years. Since the economic downtown, he has seen a 20 to 25 percent increase in store activity.
“It’s reduced income. More people are getting into the needy category.”
He said there is “no question” that the demand for store items has increased. “There is no doubt that lots of people have lost their jobs and there is a need for assistance.”
For additional information, call (812) 482-3601.
Loogootee
“We have a whole lot of shoppers coming in,” said Patty Bowling, manager of the store in Loogootee. “We are really busy. I think the economy has a lot to do with that.
“We have a really nice store, and people come here who could go anywhere to shop. We also have the low-income. One family, the husband has a good job and they have a big family, and they do all their shopping here to save money.”
She said she was concerned that as the economy slowed down that donations might also slow down. That hasn’t happened. “Our donations are good. We keep thinking it’s going to slow down, but our donations are good.”
For additional information, call (812) 295-4114.
Vincennes
Nan Cardinal is the manager of the store in Vincennes. It has a new 60 by 80 foot addition which is filled with clothing and has a children’s department. That’s brought in a lot of new customers, she said, along with the regulars. And now, because of the economy, she is beginning to see new faces. “They are from the surrounding area, and they are from all walks of life.
“We have the needy, but we have people who could shop other places but they are shopping with us. We’ve always had people from all walks of life, but I feel there are more now who are patronizing us.
“The donations are good,” she said. “They aren’t down, which is a surprise with the economy the way it is. We are still getting lovely donations.”
For additional information, call (812) 886-9750.
Washington
“Right now, we are doing pretty good as far as donations,” reports Ethna O’Haver, manager of the St. Vincent de Paul Store in Washington. “At the present time, we really haven’t seen a change.”
For additional information, call (812) 254-6678.