Aurora thrift store expands
Bernie Schlameuss of North Aurora doesn't believe in coincidences. He thinks they are just God's way of working miracles anonymously.
That's how he explains how another 3,200 square feet of storage space was offered to Déjà Vu Thrift and Consignment Shop, just as it was trying to figure out a way to store large donations such as furniture.
And that the donor would say, "I wouldn't care if you ran a store out of it."
See the results at an open house today and Saturday at 911 Sullivan Road, Aurora, as Déjà Vu unveils its furniture showroom in the back of the Belmont Machinery factory.
The industrial space isn't pretty, but has been scrubbed clean.
The Geneva thrift store, in a house at 427 S. Fourth St. in the downtown business district, is run by a local council of the St. Vincent DePaul Society, a Catholic charity that helps the poor. It includes churches from Batavia, Aurora, DeKalb, Elburn, Maple Park and St. Charles.
Déjà Vu was started by St. Peter Catholic Church of Geneva. It gave up the thrift shop this year and offered it to Holy Cross to raise money for the school it is building. The parish priest suggested the Vincentians run it instead. (People from St. Peter's still volunteer.)
"Gee, this is just like manna from heaven," Schlameuss said.
The furniture store has things a college student might want, all the way up to an Ethan Allen dining room collection.
That's a sideboard, china cabinet, table and 10 chairs, which sold for about $12,000 nine years ago when it was new.
It can be yours for $2,895.
"There's no way we could put that set into the shop," Schlameuss said.
"Most everything else is priced to sell."
In January, the place will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or so on the second and fourth Saturdays. You also can arrange to see items by appointment.
Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted. Delivery is available for $25. (If you buy that Ethan Allen set, they will deliver it for free.)
Prices are firm; there is no haggling.
"We're greedy for the needy," Schlameuss said. "I know the need out there. I see it every day."
The society has a hotline people can call for help. If, for example, somebody can't pay their electric bill, two society members will visit the person in their home to assess the situation. If they agree, the society will send a check to the utility provider.
Going to the home treats the person with dignity and respect, the society believes.
Schlameuss' father was a Vincentian, and as a child he was moved by a Bible verse where Jesus Christ tells his followers that by helping others, you serve God: "I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink."
"It struck me as a Catholic, a Christian, a human being, whatever, that is what we should be doing," he said.
If you go
What: Déjà Vu Thrift and Consignment Shop's furniture warehouse
Where: In the Belmont Machinery Co. building at 911 Sullivan Road, Aurora. Entrance is at the rear of the building.
When: Open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and Saturday.
If you donate
Déjà Vu takes all sorts of items, except stoves, refrigerators, washers and dryers. To donate large items, call (630) 232-6621 to make an appointment.
At this time, it especially wants children's clothing, particularly boys apparel. That may be brought to the Déjà Vu Thrift and Consignment Shop at 427 S. Fourth St., Geneva.