Made In Vienna: Pennywise Thrift Shop

At the corner of Church and Mill Streets, is a place where old goods meet new hands, where people bring last year's decorations or clothing from decades past to give them new life.

But more than that, it's the same start-up community service project that started in 1961 in the hands of Holy Comforter parishioner Lillian Croy, who wanted to give an alternative to families and residents who couldn't necessarily afford full-priced items offered at other retail stores.

“We try to make available to the community, good quality low priced merchandise, so people who have a need will have a place to shop in Vienna,” said Jane Schmiedekamp, a member of the church for over 20 years and a former chair of Pennywise. “The money that is collected goes to the church and used for charitable groups.”

The store is an arm of the , one that takes 12,000 volunteer hours a year to keep up and running. But somehow, it has always had enough of the Holy Comforter congregation to help. Shirley O'Meara, Mary Wood and Martha Clark are three women who have volunteered at Pennywise since its inception and last week rode in Vienna’s Halloween parade in a salute to the thrift store’s anniversary.

“I think one of the best things about Pennywise is that no one is paid—not even a supervisor,” Schmiedekamp said. “Everyone has to be from Holy Comforter and people give little increments of their time to keep the shop going. It’s hard to imagine, but it’s all just volunteer workers.”

In the past 50 years, Pennywise has raised millions of dollars that has been given back to the community, the church and the more than 27 charities around the world it supports. Vienna Mayor Jane Seeman presented Pennywise with a proclamation for its special achievement last Saturday at the ministry’s Thanksgiving for Pennywise celebration, in which past chairs from throughout the years took part. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors also honored the store at its Thursday meeting.

Pennywise has made it possible for Holy Comforter to make renovations, buy an organ, purchase choir robes and add to its building fund and endowment fund. Recent contributions have helped with the new Chapel chairs, remodeling of the Lillian Croy Room, and adding new blinds in McGill Hall and the Lillian Croy Room. Each year, the church receives a significant pledge from the Episcopal Church Women (the organization responsible for allocating the profits from Pennywise). This past year’s pledge was $31,500.

Of course, not everything sells in the thrift store, and items that don’t are still put to good use. Bags of leftover clothing are collected each week by the American Rescue Mission; cosmetics and toiletries are donated to Mt. Carmel House; usable housewares and decorative items are gathered by a volunteer and donated weekly to Purple Heart; and cell phones go to the police department.

“This is a great way for people to recycle their goods,” Schmiedekamp said. “It’s a great idea because people tend to throw things away and this is a good way to protect the environment and get more use out of items.”

In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Pennywise Thrift Store is holding a half-off super sale Thursday, until it closes at 8 p.m. For more information, visit the store's website.