Thrifting at Pocatello’s Saint Vincent de Paul is bigger and better
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POCATELLO — Everyone loves a great thrift store find, and thrifting at Pocatello’s Saint Vincent de Paul just got better. The thrift store and food pantry, at 855 South 2nd Avenue, has completed a major renovation, adding 360 square feet of showroom space.
“Our customers are going to love it. We’ve doubled our clothing capacity and our prices are great. Still, the main goal is to strengthen the social services we provide, from our food pantry to rent, utility and car repair assistance, along with vouchers for clothes, food, gas and bus passes for those in need,” said store manager Beth Huston. “We’re hoping the improvements in the store will help augment revenue for these services.”
This renovation comes just in time for the introduction of a new Point of Sale (POS) system called Thriftwork, designed especially for thrift stores, which will streamline inventory and sales tracking and is set to be installed in October.
Huston shared that the transformation began in July when St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) welcomed Jeffrey Beamguard, a professional store assessor from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Council USA. The National Council offers free resources to individual St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores, including Pocatello’s location.
Beamguard, who brings decades of retail thrift experience, provided invaluable insights, including the recommendation to implement a new, thrift-specific POS system. He also gave the green light to the store’s renovation plan.
“Jeff (Beamguard) promised that if the store followed these best practices — everything from merchandising and organizing to training in efficiency, cleanliness, and production levels — we would see success,” Huston said. “He recommended a lot of things we hadn’t even thought of, and I’ve tried to implement every one of them.”
One of the first improvements St. Vincent de Paul has seen is a new metal recycling cart installed by Pacific Recycling. “It was such a simple idea, but we didn’t know about the service. Garbage disposal is always a challenge for thrift stores,” said Huston.
She said that the most significant change has been the installation of a POS system.
“Our thrift store personnel need to produce double the capacity of what they sell to be profitable,” she said. “But without a way to track inventory, you can’t know what that level is.”
Though shoppers never know what treasures will be found at a thrift store, Huston said that clothing and furniture are the best-selling items at SVdP.
“We’re the only thrift store in town that still offers pickup services for large items in Pocatello and Chubbuck,” Huston said. “For a $30 fee, we’ll pick up things like furniture, lawn equipment and appliances, as long as they’re clean, gently used and in working condition. However, we don’t accept old tube TVs, mattresses or organs.”
Huston expressed gratitude to Acoustic Specialties Inc. for the donation of a new wall, and to volunteer groups including Construction Services and the Knights of Columbus Council #892 for their help. Plus, the many staff members and friends of SVdP also pitched in, completing the renovation project while keeping the store open to customers.
The renovation and POS system were largely funded through a grant from Holy Spirit Council SVdP in Huntsville, Alabama, as well as contributions from local donors within the Holy Spirit Catholic Community.
Saint Vincent de Paul social services are available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays or by calling 208-406-1216. The Thrift Store is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and the Food Pantry is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. For more information, contact Huston at 208-478-2062.
