From a Basement to Colborne St.

The St. Vincent de Paul Valu Shoppe Opens Its Doors on Brantford’s Colborne St.
Brantford, Ontario — October 15, 1990

A new chapter began Monday for one of Brantford’s longest-running charitable traditions, as the St. Vincent de Paul Society officially opened its Valu Shoppe at 64 Colborne Street — a bright, public-facing retail store more than four decades in the making.

The ribbon was cut by Lorne Hankinson, president of the St. Vincent de Paul Particular Council of Brant, alongside Gwen Barnett, one of the last surviving founders of the operation that first took root in the late 1940s. Dedicatory prayers were offered by Very Rev. Chris Grabiec, CR, dean of Brant County and pastor of St. Pius X Parish, and Rev. James R. Mihm, spiritual director of the Brant Particular Council.

A Community Store for Those in Need
The Valu Shoppe will sell used clothing, furniture, knick-knacks, and assorted items donated by the public at affordable prices. Proceeds, after expenses, will fund the Vincentians’ wide-ranging charitable efforts in the Brantford area. Hankinson was clear about who the store is meant to serve: “whoever needs help.”

The store operates Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Around 40 volunteers keep day-to-day operations running smoothly.

The new location — the former C. A. Mannen Appliances premises on Colborne Street — was chosen in part out of necessity. The society’s previous home, in the basement of the Madonna Centre on Pearl Street (the former St. Joseph’s Convent), faces a possible demolition. Hankinson has signed a two-year lease on the downtown building and is optimistic about the road ahead.

Humble Beginnings
For Gwen Barnett, Monday’s opening was the culmination of a journey that began simply, in her own home.

In 1948, Barnett and two friends started a used clothing collection in the basement of her Princess Street residence. The response from the community was immediate and overwhelming. “It’s amazing how many people got to know it,” said the 81-year-old. “It grew in no time.”

As the operation expanded, it moved through a series of church and school basements — first to St. Basil’s and St. Anne’s Schools near St. Basil’s Church, then to the basement of St. Basil’s Rectory. By 1980, the St. Vincent de Paul Society had taken over formal direction of the effort and relocated it to the Madonna Centre on Pearl Street.

Now, for the first time, the operation has a true storefront — visible, accessible, and open to all. Barnett, who has watched the effort grow from a grassroots act of compassion into a fully fledged charitable retailer, offered a simple but warm assessment.

“It’s in the right hands of the right people now.”

The other surviving co-founder, Mrs. Marjorie Doherty, was unable to attend the opening, as she is currently a patient at the rehabilitation centre of St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Looking Forward
With a prime downtown location and decades of community goodwill behind it, the Valu Shoppe represents the Vincentians’ most ambitious step yet in making charitable support accessible to Brantford residents. Whether donating goods, volunteering, or shopping for everyday essentials at a fair price, the community now has a central place to engage with the Society’s mission.

The store’s doors are open — and so is the invitation to help.