ROCHESTER — Not even six months into opening, with a growing number of donations and the need for more space, The Church Mouse Thrift Shop has expanded into the former rectory’s living room.

The shop, one of two St. Isidore Parish thrift stores, started in the former conference room of the St. Rose of Lima Church in Rochester. Self-proclaimed church elder and volunteer Ingrid McNeil said the store has been a great addition since opening Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.

“Rochester is small. We’re not the wealthiest community — we have wealthier communities around like Marion and Mattapoisett,” McNeil said, “It’s so satisfying to do what we do here.”

The store is quite popular. Despite only being open four hours once a week, many faces walk through the front doors and browse, McNeil said. Saturday, Feb. 28, the church saw 29 people purchase items — purchases that week ranged from $1 to $100.

No debit cards or checks are accepted, The Church Mouse Thrift Shop only takes cash. And every penny of it goes to Reverend Jude Thaddeus Osunkwo, who then puts the funds toward different areas and events within the parish.

McNeil said along with the frequent customers comes frequent donations.

“We get donations every time we’re open. They’re all so generous in this area and in this church,” she said.

Items like hats, shoes, glassware and toys are sorted by the team of volunteers and priced in a group setting to ensure the customers are getting good deals. McNeil said they make sure what they put out on the floor is good quality, and that she loves who she works with.

“We have a good time. It’s a wonderful group of volunteers. They all work so hard and they're a fun group to be with — they’re so dedicated,” she said.

The recent expansion has given the store more space to display the hefty donations, which has proved slightly difficult as the store transitions into spring stock. The team of volunteers all do their part to clean, organize and present the space to customers.

McNeil said the parish is lucky to have an artistic volunteer who focuses on making everything look nice.

“Learning how to manage the inventory, that has been a big challenge, but we’re climbing on top of that,” she said. “We’ve come up with a system where when we have fall and winter items that we want to save for next year, we put them into bins in the attic.”

Some goals for the store have been to expand the customer base. With younger ages getting into thrifting as a hobby, McNeil wishes to see even more faces light up at the selection the church has to offer.

“We work really hard to maximize our space. We use every corner that we can find and we put stuff up,” McNeil said.

The Church Mouse Thrift Shop is open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 282 Vaughan Hill Road, located within the St. Rose of Lima Church in Rochester. Donations are welcome and encouraged.