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Maeve Leahy, Hugo Wells, Noreen Hanifin, Phil Hussey, Sheila Wells and Junior Locke at the official opening of the new St Vincent de Paul shop on Castle Street. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
NEW St Vincent de Paul Store store on Castle Street is aiming to be more visible to the public.
The new store on Upper Castle Street (located opposite the entrance to Presentation Primary School) has been open for two weeks, but on Monday night was launched in earnest with an in-store fashion event and customer appreciation night that showcased the items on sale.
After spending over €470,000 last year, St Vincent de Paul needed to generate more income to keep the services going to their high standards.
It is hoped that this store will be more visible to the public than the one in Friary Lane which is a bit off the beaten path in the Strand Street area.
“We need something on the main street so people will know where we are,” said Junior Locke of St Vincent de Paul Tralee Area President. “Since we’ve opened we had a lot of people come in donating and others seeking help, so it opens up that avenue of where to go,” he added.
Maeve Leahy is the manager of the new store, which all St Vincent de Paul shops in the country will now be modelled on. She has 12 years of experience in fashion retail.
“We’re still finding our feet, but we’re getting there” said Maeve Leahy. “There is nothing covering charity shops this side of town and it has a good catchment area,” she added.
The store on Castle Street is open 8:45am to 5:30pm, Monday to Saturday. Scroll down of photos…
Shauna Griffin, Jasmine Griffin, Marian Moore and Treasa Walsh at the official opening of the new St Vincent de Paul shop on Castle Street. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
Geraldine Quirke, Eleanor Collins, Maureen Hanafin and Teresa Collins at the official opening of the new St Vincent de Paul shop on Castle Street. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
The new St Vincent de Paul Store on Upper Castle Street. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.
