Today we’d like to introduce you to April Mullen.
Hi April, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The St. Thomas Episcopal Church Thrift Shop & Boutique started over sixty-five years ago to provide outreach funds for the needy in our local Lake County community. A group of volunteers collect donated clothing and small household goods to resell to the community. Today the goal for our outreach is raising funds for the homeless, neglected and abused women and needy children. During the 2025 year, the shop donated almost $24,000 to these causes.
The shop is located in the Church parking lot at 211 S. Mary St. in Eustis. The shop is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. with two Volunteers working each shift to sell merchandise. Another ten to twelve volunteers sort and stock merchandise on Monday and Wednesday mornings. The shop pays its own operating expenses and funding for needy causes is dispersed twice per year via grant applications available on the Church website www.stthomaseustis.org.
The shop is one of the cleanest, best decorated, and nicest thrift shops in the area. The prices are extremely low. We donate what we cannot sell to other thrift stores in the area or animal shelters.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We currently operate out of a house St. Thomas Episcopal Church bought to house this ministry. The house is approximately 1,000 square feet and was built in 1925. It is a constant struggle to keep it in good condition. Painting and wood repair is a constant problem as is roof replacement, air conditioning and heat. Also we have grown over the years and our only storage areas are a basement and a small storage shed.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
This 65 year old shop is dedicated to recycling slightly used clothing and household items to raise funds to help the needy and less fortunate in our community. We are extremely proud that we yearly provide over $20,000 to those in need. The workers are tireless, dedicated, and go above and beyond to make this one of the best thrift shops in the area.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
St. Thomas Thrift Shop has been blessed to have many repeat customers who love to shop at our store. We have been lucky to have so many wonderful people who have volunteered their time and expertise to make this ministry such a successful operation. These wonderful people are the ones who are dedicated to making our community a better place. We also have been lucky enough to have two volunteers, Sandra Pettitt and Gail Norris, who have worked at our shop for over 40 years each!
Pricing:
- Ladies tops – $3
- Ladies dresses – $5
- Men’s pants – $4
- Men’s shirts – $3- $4
- Linens $2 – $8
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stthomaseustis.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100039241136086
Image Credits
April Mullen
