For 60 years, a little thrift store has collected gently used clothing, shoes and housewares.
It uses the proceeds to support services provided by the local visiting nurse association.
After the store’s most recent home on Route 202 in New Preston was sold, the Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Litchfield County moved the business to a new home, this time in Bantam.
The store’s new location is at Our Lady of Grace, St. Louis de Montfort Parish, on Route 202.
A recent gathering drew volunteers, shoppers and curious newcomers.
Among the volunteer group were longtime members Diane Locke and Iona Douskey.
“My son was 9 years old and he was in Cub Scouts, and he ripped a pair of pants at an activity,” Locke recalled.
“I went to the thrift store; it was above the pharmacy in Washington at the time, and I found a pair for him. The lady at the store said, ‘Would you be interested in volunteering?’ and I was. I’ve been volunteering for 50 years,” she said.
“When we moved from New Milford to Washington, I signed up, and that was 20 years ago,” Douskey said.
“It’s fun, volunteering,” she said. “You stay in the house too much, you start to get depressed; volunteering gets you out, you meet people and help, and all of sudden you feel better. I enjoy it.”
VNHLC, or the Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Litchfield County, includes Foothills VNA, VNA Northwest, Salisbury VNA and Farmington Valley VNA, which previously joined forces to serve the Northwest Corner and Farmington Valley.
Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Litchfield County, a non-profit agency, has been serving home health and hospice care needs in Litchfield County and the Farmington Valley for more than 100 years, according to the organization. It brings care 24 hours a day to the communities it covers, is licensed by the state Department of Public Health and certified by Medicare.
Before the agencies joined together, the thrift shop was overseen by VNA Northwest; before that, the smaller organization was known as the VNA of Washington and Warren.
The thrift store, founded around 1966, has operated around town: above a pharmacy, in a church, and in an office building in New Preston, part of Washington.
In the early 2000s, the store and its volunteers settled in the Sebec Trading Company building on Route 202, also in New Preston, where it operated for 15 years.
“We’re very appreciative to the members of Our Lady of Grace for welcoming us,” said Jean Chapin, store manager.
Chapin worked at the Gunn Memorial Library in Washington for many years. Now retired, she oversees the store and the 20-plus group of volunteers.
Chapin said the store has always been in Washington, until now.
“But we’ve had a very nice reception here in Bantam,” she said. “We hope our Washington donors will drive the extra distance and continue to bring us donations. “They’re the life blood of this organization, and we don’t want to lose them.”
The new store’s space is a square room with high ceilings, displays, and a small kitchen with a window, where customers can pay for their purchases.
Clothing racks are arranged around the room, along with shelving and display cases for glassware and kitchenware. There are clothing, books and toys for children; summery dresses and hats; handbags, sandals and shoes for all ages.
The volunteers check each donated item for quality, price it and put it out for sale. A boutique display features “like new” clothing and shoes.
Chapin noted, “Regular hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. We’re closed Sundays and Mondays.”
Volunteers are always welcome. Members of the group take turns running the store, sorting clothes and creating displays.
The new location’s address is 761 Bantam Road/Route 202, Bantam, behind Our Lady of Grace church. The entrance is in the rear of the building, with plenty of parking.
For information on the VNHLC thrift store, visit vnhlc.org, or call 860-379-8561.