St. Martin’s Thrift Shop plans open house, Christmas sale

    MILLINOCKET, Maine – St. Martin’s Thrift Shop of Millinocket has announced plans to hold its annual Open House and Christmas Sale on Oct. 16,  from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its 112 Maine Ave. location.
    The open house sale will mark the debut of the store’s new spacious Christmas Room featuring new and gently used Christmas merchandise suitable for gift-giving and home decorating.
In addition, the Thrift Store’s two floors will feature a wealth of other merchandise suitable for every day use, including gently used clothing for the entire family from baby upward; furniture; all manner of kitchen items and dish-ware; gift items; linens; books; gowns and accessories; jewelry; and some surprise items one might not expect to find at a thrift store, such as valuable brass and sterling silver merchandise.
Frequently clothing offered for sale bear top brand name tags.
St. Martin’s Thrift Store is a nonprofit, ecumenical operation whose mission is to aid the needy of the area. As part of this mission, the thrift store helps to financially support the St. Martin’s Food Pantry and St. Martin’s Emergency Fuel Fund, both ecumenical outreach operations serving the Katahdin Area.
The store’s support of the food pantry and emergency fuel fund is especially critical in these economic times, especially given the fact that 13.3 percent of Maine households (i.e., 175,000 people) are unable to access adequate amounts of nutritious food; and half of Millinocket’s population, it has been reported, lives at or below the poverty level, and unemployment is twice the state average.
The Saturday open house being staged by St. Martin’s Thrift Store will allow area people who normally work during the day the opportunity to shop. Regular store hours are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 20 volunteers staff the store, helping to carefully inspect and sort merchandise, put merchandise out on the floor and assist customers.
Shoppers are not reticent about expressing their delight with the store. One woman declared, “Your clothes are awesome”. Another shopper stated her like of the store’s atmosphere. “Because it’s fun,” declared another, explaining why she shops at the store. “People…prices…variety,” observed still another shopper.