Trinity Community Thrift Store is a dream that my friend Paul Audy had 10 years ago. It all started with a sermon one Sunday where the Pastor asked everyone “What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?” Paul thought about this, and responded “I want to have my own Thrift Store.” The next thing that happened is that Paul was summoned to the Church for a meeting with the Pastor. Little did he know that his dream was about to come true…Or that he would inspire people to this important cause. The Pastor brought him to a small store room in the basement. It needed work. Paul wondered “why are we here in this storeroom?” to which the Pastor Responded “This is your new Thrift Store!”
It took a lot of hard work, and a lot of dedicated volunteers to turn that store room into what is now the Trinity Community Thrift Store. We were asked for a detailed plan, and Paul pitched it to the Church – which they approved. We had four months to do what people thought was impossible – turn that store room into a useable space, which we did!
Since November 14, 2009 we have served countless individuals with their needs. All of us brought our best game forward, and have been giving back to the community which we have served ever since. We strive to remember that we are here to serve the Community – we know that there are needs out there, and we try really hard to assist those who need our help. Our Tagline is: “Trinity Community Thrift Store, Montpelier’s (VT) Affordable Thrift Store.”
In August of 2016, The Church suffered a flood, which all but destroyed the basement areas that house the Thrift Store, Food Pantry and several other areas. The Church helped us to rebuild, and we were closed for about 8 months. Due to a lot of hard work and support, we were able to rebuild and redesign the Thrift Store, taking advantage of the opportunity to make the Thrift Store a better place. We could not have gotten there without the support of the Church, the Community and the Grace of God Himself. They say that God does not give you a challenge that you cannot handle. I, as the Executive Director, now understand that he is right. With God’s Help, and the help of many others, too numerous to mention here, we are continuing the Mission of the Store.
In 2017, Paul announced that he was going to pursue other interests, but he wanted to have a person who “knew the ropes” in charge of the Thrift Store. He made sure that we had everything we needed to have in the store before he left. I, Brian Baker, was the Operations Manager, and Bill Sanderson was the Store Manager. On April 1, Paul stepped down as Director of this ministry, and on April 2, I was appointed to succeed him.
Since then I have continued to the best of my ability to uphold the standards we set in the beginning of this endeavor. My philosophy is that we all need to work together as a team, and that all of us have ideas, opinions, skills and strategies that we will use to better the store, the community and ourselves. I can’t thank the Trinity United Methodist Church enough for all the support, guidance and love that they have shown me. As I continue to move forward on this journey, may God and Jesus Christ give me the power, wisdom and strength to face any challenge that I may face. I am humbled and gratified that I have received the trust of the Church, and of my community, and I vow to never forget that I am a servant of God, put here to continue the Mission that Paul started, and to better myself and others in the process! Thanks also goes to the many volunteers that have helped us over the years. We could not do this without you! I salute everyone of you. Thanks for being there through the years!
Trinity Community Thrift Store will be celebrating our 10th anniversary on September, 7 2019. Located at 37 Main Street, Montpelier VT 05602. Phone: (802) 229-9155
