ROCHESTER — Thanks to inspiration from a sister church, an experienced member and hard-working volunteers, a conference room in St. Rose of Lima Church has been turned into a thrift shop set to open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 26.

A grand opening will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday as the community has its first chance to see the shop.

St. Rose of Lima member Janet Galipeau has been a key piece to setting up the shop, according to some of her peers.

“Janet has been phenomenal,” said Shirley Bourque. “She has a gift.”

I thrift, it’s what I do,” said Galipeau. “I’ve been in a lot of thrift stores and I enjoy it and that’s what I wanted to portray here, my joy.”

Galipeau said that preparing the shop has already brought her a lot of joy and she can’t wait for it to open.

St. Rose of Lima is part of St. Isidore Parish. Sacred Heart Church of Middleboro also belongs to St. Isidore Parish. Sacred Heart has had a successful thrift shop for about 15 years, which provided some inspiration according to St. Rose of Lima member Ingrid McNeil.

“The idea began a couple of years ago in a revenue committee meeting,” said McNeil, who added that the group was unsure where the shop could be set up at first.

After receiving permission that the conference room would work, members started setting up the room.

“We haven’t actually solicited donations yet,” said McNeil. “Once we open, people will know that they can bring their donations and we hope it will take off from there.”

Despite not yet soliciting donations, the group has collected a plethora of clothes and household items ready for new homes.

Accepted items include new and gently-used clothing, kitchen items, books, and games. Electronics and large furniture are not accepted.

“It's hard to say on the first day but I think it will evolve into a nice little shop,” said Galipeau. “People that like to thrift will like to come.”

The shop will be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. St. Rose of Lima is located at 282 Vaughan Hill Rd.