Jeannette charity looks for miracle to keep St. Vincent de Paul thrift store running

Volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul store in Jeannette are hoping for a Christmas miracle.

The thrift store is being forced to close after the three-story Clay Avenue building where it is housed is being sold. Volunteers said the prospective owner, who they didn’t identify, has other plans for the site.

Volunteers haven’t found a building to relocate to nearby, leaving them and the less fortunate who depend on the faith-based nonprofit out in the cold.

“We’re looking for an 11th-hour Santa,” volunteer Jeff Dorko said.

The building’s previous owner, S&T Enterprise Inc., offered twice to donate it to the nonprofit, but they had to turn it down each time, president Marilyn Lander said. The building, an old furniture store built in the 1920s, would cost too much in upkeep for the organization to handle, she said.

“It’s way too much of a building for us,” Dorko said.

The space was sold for $1 in August to Helping Hands of America on behalf of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, according to Westmoreland County deeds. The property was listed for sale at $49,900 in late August and reduced to $21,900 in October, the listing shows.

Volunteers said a private person is buying the building and the organization was told to vacate by Jan. 20.

A representative from Helping Hands of America Foundation told the Tribune-Review that the sale is pending and they will consider other offers until the sale goes through. The organization handles donations of items — such as vehicles, real estate and jewelry — for four charities, including Sacred Hearts Missions, according to its website.

The store sells second-hand clothing, housewares, toys, baby items and furniture. In turn, they help residents who need assistance with paying bills and buying food. Dorko said the nonprofit distributes at least $30,000 annually to people in Jeannette, Harrison City, Trafford, Penn and Adamsburg. Without the income from the store, all of which is directed to help the needy, the number of families the nonprofit could help would be drastically reduced, Lander said.

Her late husband, Leonard “Red” Lander, founded the Jeannette store and managed it for nearly 30 years. The store has been at its current location for about 17 years. He would be devastated to see the current situation, Lander said.

“I think he’d be sad to see his life’s work go out in our lifetime,” Dorko said.

The store is set to close for good Dec. 31.

Prices are deeply discounted. Items ranging from suitcases to jewelry are packed into the sales floor and storage space on the upper levels and in the basement.

“So many people walk in here with a quarter to buy something,” Lander said.

“This is where the need is, downtown,” Dorko said.

Volunteers need 6,000 square feet of retail space in a new building, something they’ve found isn’t available in the Jeannette ZIP code, where the store is required to stay. They aren’t permitted to own property and can’t afford to renovate one, but a new location can be donated or the organization can lease space.

“We’re in desperate need of a home,” Dorko said.

And they need it quickly.

“If the store closes, it will go out of the public consciousness” and they’d have to start from scratch with volunteers and getting donations, Dorko said. “The longer we’re not visible, the worse it will be for us.”