Renovations have been made to the store’s entire showroom space at 101 W. A St.

Repairs needed to be addressed due to the building’s age, store Manager Julie Taylor explained.

“We reached a point where the heaved floors were creating safety concerns,” added Andrea Collins, St. Vincent de Paul board chair and volunteer.

In 2024, the board looked at the possibility of relocating to a new space.

A view of the recently renovated Iron Mountain St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News)

“At that time, there was nothing on the market that was comparable to what we have now, which is almost 10,000 square feet,” Collins said.

The only viable option available was the old Ball & Christy; however, the building size exceeded what they needed.

“The pantry didn’t want to relocate, and we couldn’t afford to knock down half the structure for parking, which is what the new owners did,” Collins said. “It would have been too much.”

The remodeling was made possible from memorial donations that were specifically marked by the donor to be used for upgrades to the thrift store.

“We were very fortunate and blessed by our longtime supporters,” Taylor said.

New cabinetry displays have been added at the Iron Mountain St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store for its hundreds of pieces of houseware items. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News)

Last summer, the store began sales to quickly move out inventory in preparation of the project. “We ended up closing earlier than expected, because we sold out so fast,” Collins said.

“Everything, including display cases and register counters, needed to be removed,” Taylor added. “It was a lot of prep work.”

Northland Basement immediately started working to level the floor issue.

After completion, Fraco Flooring of Marquette laid the new flooring along with new trim.

The large counters were constructed by local carpenter Tom Collins, with Premier Custom Counters installing the counter tops.

Andrea Collins, St. Vincent de Paul board chair and volunteer, and store Manager Julie Taylor show of the newly remodeled “library” area at the Iron Mountain St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News)

The drywall repairs and painting was done by Erickson Drywall & Plastering.

Staff members also installed new display cabinets and shelving.

“Everyone did such a great job for us,” Taylor said.

“The place has a brighter look to it and has a better flow,” Collins said.

During the construction phase, volunteers continued to mark inventory in preparation for re-opening.

Longtime volunteer Liz Mellon cleans artificial greens and flowers at the Iron Mountain St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News)

Taylor stressed that the staff and volunteers were a huge part of the successful transformation of the store.

“We couldn’t have done it just the two of us,” she said. “Everything was cleaned before we could stock our shelves.”

Taylor also gives credit to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s work van for help with moving large inventory from the warehouse behind the pantry back into the store.

“We had a lot of volunteers come to help us get back up and running,” Taylor added. “It only took a week from when they finished the floor to when we reopened on Sept. 8.”

On opening day they had a line stretched from the checkout area to the back of the store. “Those are some dedicated customers,” Collins said. “In four hours, we had more than $4,000 in sales.”

“We didn’t open until 11 a.m., that day, and had to close the door at 3 p.m. because we couldn’t keep up,” Taylor added.

Collins said they have received many compliments on the remodel.

Taylor spoke on the organization’s importance in the community. “Everything above expenses from the five area stores — Iron Mountain, Norway, Florence, Crystal Falls and Iron River — goes back to help local individuals or families in need,” she explained. “This includes food, utilities, lodging, bus tickets, gas cards, back to school items and holiday food baskets.”

In addition, they recycle metal, paper and cardboard to support the funding.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Iron Mountain was organized in July 1973, by Vincentians Del Roberts, Milton Boucher, LeRoy Witt and Ralph and June Izzo. The first “thrift shop” opened for one afternoon a week in a room at the American Martyrs School in Kingsford.

After outgrowing that space, they moved in 1976 to the Firme building at 225 E. Hughitt St. in downtown Iron Mountain. Within the year, they purchased the former Sears Roebuck and Co. store at 207 E. Hughitt St.

In 1993, they opened its doors at its current location in the former IGA building.

This allowed them to expand its volume of merchandise to accommodate increased business, as well as extending its store hours.

Current store hours are 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Donations are accepted from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and must be clean, working, viable and in resale condition.

They ask no large appliances, computers, TVs, mattresses or baby cribs and carseats. A complete list can be found on the Iron Mountain St. Vincent de Paul’s website at www.svdpironmountain.org.

Taylor said it’s a very busy two hours during those three days; however, they don’t have the manpower to extend the time.

The thrift store has a total of 11 volunteers and always welcomes anyone willing to give a few hours.

“It’s not just with the intake of donations — we have to process each of these items. That includes cleaning, testing and prices, and getting it out on the racks,” she said.

The thrift store takes the material items, Taylor said, while the food pantry accepts monetary donations.

“We have so many generous people in the community who have given to the mission,” Collins said. “We are lucky, that keeps our store full.”

“We also have very good patrons — there are some that come every day,” she added.

Taylor said the St. Vincent de Paul operation is a total team effort. “We couldn’t do it without everyone involved — staff, donors, volunteers — including the pantry,” Taylor said. “We are focused on keeping the charity’s mission going.”

For more information about donations or the thrift store, call 906-774-9637.

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Terri Castelaz can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85241, or tcastelaz@ironmountaindailynews.com.