St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store of Dallas purchased a three-acre property at 4801 South Buckner Blvd. in July. It is in the process of renovating the over-28,000-square-foot site to host its second location, which the Catholic charity expects to open before the end of 2026.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas is expanding its outreach mission in Dallas.
The Catholic nonprofit — which seeks to prevent homelessness and address other community needs through a wide range of local services — plans to open a thrift store on the eastern side of the city in the Buckner Terrace neighborhood later this year.
St. Vincent de Paul purchased a three-acre property at 4801 South Buckner Blvd. in July for the project. An existing 28,443-square-foot building on site will be redeveloped to host the store, which will be its second.
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The charity already operates a thrift store on the other side of the city at 3052 W. Northwest Highway near Love Field.
Tony Ruggeri, who chairs the board of St. Vincent de Paul’s thrift store operations, said the new venture is intended to replicate the achievements earned throughout the first location’s 19-year lifetime while serving a different slice of the Dallas community.
“Our Northwest Highway store has been highly successful,” he said. “We wanted to duplicate what we had in Northwest Highway but in a part of the city that was uncovered.”
So, a little over two years ago, the organization started to look into expanding. The board of directors felt the economics were strong, so it became a question of finding the perfect site.
Ruggeri said they had several criteria. Finding a building that was the right size and already vacant was key. Making sure the property had the right zoning for their operations and pricing that fit with the budget were also important factors.
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But the most important quality — a non-negotiable — was getting St. Vincent de Paul into a new region to bring its services to a wider community.
The property on South Buckner Boulevard hit every mark.
Now, the goal is to get the store up and running in time for the holidays. St. Vincent de Paul closed the deal on July 15 and began the renovation process a few days later. After that, the team will spend time on other set-up tasks like stocking merchandise, installing the IT systems and preparing store displays.
They feel comfortable that they’ll be able to open before the Christmas season, Ruggeri said. Beyond its religious significance, that deadline is important for an organization so deeply steeped in service.
The North Texas chapter of St. Vincent de Paul is one of several around the world. Active since 1956, it comprises 42 conferences, each representing a different Catholic parish in North Texas.
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But Ruggeri explained that while the organization is rooted in Catholic principles, its work is nondenominational.
“We don’t ask about religion or beliefs or anything,” he said. “We just help people.”
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The thrift store wing of its operations does so in three main ways.
First is its role as an employment center. The store on Northwest Highway employs about 70 people — most of which hold full-time positions with full benefit packages, which Ruggeri noted is uncommon for retail jobs.
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Second is its voucher program. St. Vincent de Paul runs a hotline that residents in need can call to get assistance with paying for food, utilities, rent or other living expenses. Sometimes, volunteers responding to the call will visit a resident’s home and discover they don’t have enough clothing, or beds, or other critical needs.
That’s where the vouchers come in.
“People can come to the store at Northwest Highway and, with dignity, pick out clothes or pick out a bed or a sofa,” Ruggeri said.
While the vouchers are designed to support folks with the greatest need, all customers benefit from heavy discounts. For example, seniors, teachers, students, military, clergy and first responders get 40% off their purchases every Monday. On Tuesday, all clothing is marked down 40%. Similar deals happen throughout the week, and manager specials spice up the weekend sales.
The third way St. Vincent de Paul’s thrift store gives back to the community actually makes use of their own dollars. Any profits the store generates over the course of a year are collected and redistributed across the other branches of the organization, ensuring its mission of service remains central to the work at every level.
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That money could go to one of the organization’s emergency assistance programs, which help residents in need pay their electric bills, access personal hygiene products or build financial stability through low-interest loans and financial coaching. St. Vincent de Paul also runs a charitable pharmacy that provides free medication to folks without insurance or below a certain income level; a clinic that does the same with medical care, a food pantry, a community garden, and more.
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The new thrift store will serve as hubs for some of St. Vincent de Paul’s other programs, in the model of the first location.
The Northwest Highway store hosts quarterly health fairs in connection with the pharmacy where residents can get their blood pressure checked and other medical needs met. It is also one of three StudyTime locations where kids can receive after-school tutoring and mentorship, though Ruggeri noted the new store is close to the program’s Bishop Lynch High School outpost so likely will not become a fourth hub.
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Seasonal pop-ups, from backpack drives during back-to-school season to Thanksgiving meal and Christmas gift giveaways over the winter holidays, add to the tally of the ways St. Vincent de Paul’s thrift store program seeks to serve its neighbors.
Folks in need of emergency assistance can contact St. Vincent de Paul of North Texas’ hotline by calling 469-607-0909. Contact information for individual programs, such as the Jan Pruitt Community Pantry and St. Paul Medical Clinic, is available on the St. Vincent de Paul website.