St. Peter’s Thrift Shop is located at the corner of Parish Lane and Maiden Lane, right on the church campus. It is easy to use the church parking lot while visiting the shop.

The women of St. Peters Church opened the shop in 1967 with the goal of providing a source of income for outreach, providing for the needy, and offering opportunities for service and fellowship to the members of the Parish. Presently 45 members of the parish and community help with sorting, pricing and cashiering. The shop is open to the Del Mar Community Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you visit our shop you will find a wide variety of items; mainly clothing for all ages as well as kitchen items, artwork, books and children’s toys. We are not able to store heavy furniture or old computer equipment yet there are always desk lamps, sports equipment and luggage. The surrounding Del Mar Community keeps the shop filled to the brim with really nice items for sale.

The Thrift Shop hosts an annual fashion show in late November to help kick off the Christmas sales. This social event is both fun for the models who are wearing thrift shop clothes and also for the 75-100 guests who attend the luncheon and sale.

Where do the funds go that are raised at the thrift shop?

The Thrift Shop helps support the work of the Missions, Outreach and Social Justice Ministries at St. Peter’s. We are able to serve a number of outreach groups including the local Community Resource Center, Mission Namibia, Episcopal Relief and Development, Esperanza International in Tijuana, BC, Mexico, and, on a daily basis, we serve 5-8 homeless who venture
into the shop for a change of clothes. Combining this outreach effort, the church staff hands out sack lunches and offers a shower for those who request one.

The Thrift Shop manager, Chris Miller, reports that she dreams of the day when she has adequate display space for the diverse items that come into the shop. She reports that sometimes large donations come into the shop and she can’t find enough space to display the all the wonderful items. Chris and her volunteers keep turning things over so that customers can usually find a new bargain when they are shopping.

St. Peter’s Thrift Shop is considered one of the best things about the church because it reaches so many in the community.