New home for St. Vincent de Paul

News of possible store expropriation brings donated space

A Hamilton thrift store being eyed for purchase or expropriation along the planned LRT route has been gifted a new home.

One of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul stores, currently located on King Street East, will move to a new spot at 429 Barton St. E. thanks to a donation from a 93-year-old local businessman.

Metrolinx — the head of the $1-billion project — notified the charity’s store along with dozens of other properties in August that they were identified as likely candidates to be bought or possibly expropriated.

After The Spectator wrote a story about the unknown future of the charity’s location last fall, building owner Bernard Osbaldeston picked up the phone and offered to give them the space, said Dorothy Tapajna, president of the society’s local council.

“It was just wonderful,” she said about his generosity.

The new spot — near Wentworth Street North — is at least triple the size of its current store at 696 King St. E., with 4,500-square-feet of space on the first level.

But the location is in need of lots of work, having been vacant for about five years after being home to a previous charity store and a Loblaws many moons ago, Tapajna said. The cleanup has begun. The roof has been replaced and inside walls have been taken down, but a bathroom and stairway still need to be installed and the façade has to be replaced along with other repairs.

At this point, it’s unknown when the new location will open, but Tapajna said they are aiming for the fall. In the meantime, the King Street East location remains operational.

All in all, the price tag for the project after the help of city grants should ring in around the $200,000 mark, Tapajna said.

“We’re not being elaborate in our renovations,” she said.

“We’re just doing what is necessary to make it safe and appealing for the public.”