SVP Charity Shop Opens in Rosemary Street

First Vincent’s shop in Belfast City Centre

Rosemary Street recently welcomed the arrival of a St Vincent de Paul’s (SVP) first charity shop in Belfast City Centre which opened at the end of September. Deputy Lord Mayor, Guy Spence, officially launched the ‘Vincent’s’ store which will sell a variety of first and second hand bargain goods as well as helping the charity to raise vital funds to assist those in need in the community.

The new Rosemary Street shop, which brings the number of Vincent’s stores to 31 across the province, is marking new terrain for the charity by specialising in vintage and designer goods.

Deputy Lord  Mayor, Guy Spence, said : “I am delighted to open this St Vincent de Paul shop in the heart of our city. The SVP shops provide quality goods at affordable process. I would encourage everyone to pay them a visit.”
Barney Devenny, Area President of SVP in North Belfast, commented:  “SVP, through local volunteers, has been serving the people of Belfast for over 100 years, working to help alleviate poverty in the area and to tackle its causes.  We are delighted to be able to bring our Vincent’s shop to this historic part of Belfast City Centre, making vintage and designer goods more accessible to the people of Belfast.  It will also become an important source of revenue for the charity which allows us to expand our work further into the local community and help even more people in the area.”

“We would like to welcome everyone from the community to our new Vincent’s shop and hope people will be impressed with the clothing, homeware and bric-a-brac on sale.  There is good news for fashionistas as high street and designer clothing in our shop will be easily identifiable through our ‘Vincent’s’, ‘Elegance’ and ‘Vintage’ clothing labels and there are plenty of bargains on the rails!”

The new Vincent’s shop is located in an historic area of Belfast with the building dating from the 1880s. During signage work on the building, SVP uncovered the original signage of the building and, in cooperation with conservation planners, restored it for all to see.

St Vincent de Paul is also hoping for local people to support their work through volunteering in the shop or donating their pre-loved goods.

Ruairi Murray, Regional Shops Coordinator added, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers  who have already signed up to help in our new shop and would encourage anyone with an hour or two to spare to drop in and see us in Rosemary Street as we would love more people to help.  We also welcome donations of any items in good condition and are so grateful to everyone who has supported the team already.”

SVP is fully funded by donations and work is carried out 365 days a year across Northern Ireland by more than 1600 active volunteers. Through Conferences (groups), the Society provides assistance to all sections of the community and offers practical, material and moral support as well as friendship to families and individuals in need.

To find out more about St Vincent de Paul in Belfast, please call the Vincent’s shop on 02890310255.