New Mayo town shop thriving since opening its doors

COMMUNITY NOTES: BALLYHAUNIS - WESTERN PEOPLE (FEBRUARY 11 EDITION)

Ballyhaunis branch of St Vincent de Paul is set for a boost in funds with the opening of a new Vincent’s charity shop on Bridge Street in the town.

All funds from the store will go to the local branch, explained Daniel Jordan, order fulfilment manager in charge of stocking all 14 Vincent’s shop in the West from an order fulfilment centre or logistics hub in Claremorris.

Sally Higgins, from the Ballyhaunis St Vincent De Paul, said her organisation is “delighted” to have the shop open because it offers a new source of income to aid those in need. Requests to the local branch from those in need have grown in recent years, she explained.

The Ballyhaunis outlet, opened in what was formerly the Claire Fontayne clothes shop, is the fourth such store in Mayo. Stock from the Claremorris distribution centre greeted a large crowd of eager shoppers who visited the tightly stocked store with items selling at €2 to €4.

The Ballyhaunis store was 13 months coming to life after talks commenced with the owner of the building, Amar Sattar.

“Before the opening, we do a lot of research, we look at the demographics, the workforce etc in the town and we consult the local chapter before then seeking approval from our regional and national chapters,” explained Daniel Jordan, himself a Ballyhaunis native.

Ballyhaunis has an equal mix of native Irish and foreign-born dwellers, he explained.

“Some of the international population buys clothes to send home to their native countries,” he added.

The new Ballyhaunis store, which stocks clothes and books only, offers plenty of bargains.

“A customer would pick up three or four items for ten euros,” Mr Jordan explained.

Like other Vincent’s outlets, the Ballyhaunis store also incorporates a social area where those in need can sit for a coffee.

“People are vulnerable,” Mr Jordan remarked. “You come in, have a coffee and make friends.”

The store has one full-time staff member and 12 local volunteers.

“We are also looking for more for the two to six evening shift,” Mr Jordan said.

Some of the staff are from employment schemes like RSS, TUS and Community Employment. Of the 33 staff at the Claremorris facility, most are volunteers and ten of them are on schemes.

The Claremorris sorting centre takes in 70 tons of clothing a month, of which 70% is saleable with the rest going for recycling. Items are distributed to 14 stores in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Un-saleable items are ultimately recycled for insulation, rags and other uses by a company based in Northern Ireland.

“There is no waste,” Mr Jordan stresses.

Not surprising perhaps given the cost-of-living crisis of recent years, sales are increasing across all stores. Last year, stores in the western region generated a combined €3 million in sales, with sales rising consistently in the period 2022 to 2024.

Three years in the job, Mr Jordan oversees a fleet of vans transversing the three counties with items to restock Vincent’s shops.

“I need to know what bag [of clothes] will sell well in which store,” he explained.

A store on Merchants Street, prime Galway city retail territory, is the highest-grossing store in the country and the location of choice for any higher-value clothing items donated. New €300 and €400 designer clothing with tags on them have been donated, Mr Jordan recalls.

While charity shops like Vincent’s are clearly in growth model there are threats too, not least fast fashion and the onslaught by Chinese-based e-commerce sites like Temu and Shein.

“Fast fashion is a killer, they are ruining it,” said Mr Jordan. “Because people are buying three sizes of one item and then donating two of them to the shops, but it’s usually of poor quality... It’s harder to sell, it’s very size-specific. That’s why we try to get good quality items and get more wear from them.”

Mr Jordan, however, does see a crackdown coming at EU level on fast fashion and on players like Temu whose packages enter western markets tariff-free due to the de minimis principle of world trade that allows for packages under a certain value to be delivered through the post without duties being applied.

In terms of sourcing goods, St Vincent de Paul discontinued its network of outdoor clothes banks as they drew some inferior quality items, Mr Jordan explained. Potential competition has arrived in the form of Vinted, an online second-hand clothes store that recently opened an Irish arm. The site may, of course, also become a source of custom for the Vincent’s shops. Either way, the Bridge Street shop in Ballyhaunis looks set to do well.