GILROY
– The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will close its Gilroy
thrift store on 7680 Monterey Road as of June 30. The decision was
officially made two weeks ago, after a several-month debate.
GILROY – The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will close its Gilroy thrift store on 7680 Monterey Road as of June 30. The decision was officially made two weeks ago, after a several-month debate.
“We did not come to a sudden decision,” said Sales Director Mike Birmingham, citing high costs and bad business as the reasons for closure.
“We’re faced with the same economic strains that a lot of companies and organizations are,” he said. He added that St. Vincent de Paul will continue to provide it’s Dayworker program, a service that assists people, largely immigrants, in finding a job. The program includes tutoring services and help obtaining legal documentation.
According to Birmingham, St. Vincent de Paul was losing money from the Gilroy store, and they had a choice to eliminate the thrift store or to cut funding from the Dayworker program.
“We can’t be all things to all people at all times,” said Birmingham. “We face the same constraints as other non-profits.”
Gilroy still has two other similair stores: The Salvation Army on 200 Fifth Street and Goodwill on 845 First Street. Also, St. Vincent de Paul will keep it’s other two stores open, one on Story Road in San Jose, and the other in Mountain View on Old Middlefield Way.
