New Resale Shop Opens in St. Louis

Devoted to the Pro-Life Cause

By Jim Day

Yes! There’s now a resale shop in St. Louis which is devoted to the pro-life cause! Twice Blessed Resale Shop (located in south St. Louis at 3302 Meramec Ave., right next to Winkelmann & Sons Drug Store at the corner of Virginia Ave.) sells women’s and children’s clothing, shoes, purses, jewelry, accessories, small home décor items and of course lots of baby and maternity clothes.

Twice Blessed is a non-profit entrepreneurial endeavor to support the mission of Our Lady’s Inn emergency shelter for homeless, pregnant women and their precious children. They have long wanted to open a thrift shop to help out the effort and now, by God’s grace, it has become a reality.

For those not familiar with Our Lady’s Inn, they have been serving the St. Louis City and County areas since 1982 and St. Charles communities since 2006. During the past twenty-eight years, Our Lady’s Inn volunteers and staff have provided shelter, counseling, education, life skills and stability guidance for some 5,000 women, plus their babies and children.

With the addition of Twice Blessed to Our Lady’s Inn’s ministry, funds from the shop will not only help provide emergency maternity shelter, but will enable them to provide practical training and job experience to some of the moms who live at their shelters. Moms will be able to volunteer at the shop gaining knowledge of the retailing industry which in turn will serve as an employment reference. (This has already resulted in one mom obtaining employment as a result of her work experience at the resale shop.) As an extra perk, the moms can also gain credits toward purchasing items at Twice Blessed.

Our Lady’s Inn has two maternity home locations: One located at 4223 S. Compton in St. Louis directed by Mary Laubengayer who can be reached by calling (314) 351-4590, and another located in Defiance Missouri at 3607 Hwy. D directed by Leona Swank who can be reached by calling (636) 398-5375. Both locations are open and staffed 24 hours a day, all year long with nurses, a counselor/social worker, Family Specialists/case managers, house monitors, and support staff constantly providing daily structure and guidance to the moms. After moving out of Our Lady’s Inn, the moms can participate in their After Care program, which provides a case manager for up to two additional years.

To live at Our Lady’s Inn, a woman must be 18 years of age or older, pregnant, and homeless (homeless for any reason, which can include domestic violence, all kinds of abuse, drug/alcohol addictions, loss of income or job, interpersonal friction, mental health issues, development or physical delays, overcrowded or unsafe homes, victim of substandard housing or unethical landlords, etc.). Their minor children can live at Our Lady’s Inn with them. The average stay per family is 4-7 months. While living at Our Lady’s Inn, the moms must attend workshops to improve various life skills, seek employment, pursue higher education, keep medical appointments, save money and have a plan for stabilizing their family situations.

If you would like to support the pro-life cause, find things you need and have fun at the same time, visit Twice Blessed where you will find boutique items at thrift store prices. They even offer discounts on purchases to large groups.

As mentioned earlier, Twice Blessed is located in south St. Louis City at 3302 Meramec Ave., (63118) right next to Winkelmann & Sons Drug Store at the corner of Virginia Ave. They’re open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for holidays. You can also check out their online blog for photos of the store, regular updates on the latest merchandise arrivals, bargains, and special events at http://TwiceBlessedThriftShopStLouis.blogspot.com.

Many of their customers enjoy a mom’s day out or girls’ shopping day with friends, eating lunch at local restaurants and then having fun shopping at Twice Blessed. You can call manager Lucy Hannegan to arrange special shopping events and for recommendations on local dining. Lucy can be reached at the shop by calling (314) 481-3332.

Twice Blessed is currently accepting good quality winter items for women and children and they are always looking for good volunteers.

Please remember to keep in your prayers the moms, babies, children, volunteers, donors and staff of Our Lady’s Inn.