It’s late Wednesday morning at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church’s Thrift Store, just after opening for the week.

Customers from across Long Island, chatting with one another and staff in various languages, browse inside, finding the right product at a great deal. Some shoppers meet old friends and neighbors, and end up talking with each other longer than they do shopping.

The bustling energy inside the thrift store isn’t limited to the consistent stream of customers but extends to the team of volunteers, who constantly and efficiently sort, clean, and stock items across the store.

“I’m honored to work here,” said Thrift Store co-manager Cindy Reisert. “That’s how I feel, and you ask any of us, we all feel privileged, honored to serve the community.”

The team of volunteers spends six days a week running the store, despite the store being open to the public only on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. During those closed days, the volunteers collect and sort items from clothing for all ages and genders, to seasonal decorations and toys.

The St. Ann’s Thrift Store team only puts the highest quality products for sale, they said, with stained or tarnished items returning to their place in the donation bin for a larger organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters to handle.

Each volunteer works at a station with which they feel most connected, whether that’s cleaning and folding men’s or women’s clothes, or stocking shelves in the houseware department.

St. Ann’s Thrift Store draws Long Islanders near and far, and it’s not just the great deals that keep customers coming back.

Volunteers, including co-manager Reisert, who manages the store alongside Linda Maddox, play upbeat music while greeting customers and each other, building a sense of community inside the store.

“I forget my problems when I come here,” said regular customer Blanca. “I’m always happy here, and they have many nice things.”

The feelings of warmth and community flow through the volunteers themselves, with volunteer Megan always greeting manager Reisert as “friend” when she sees her.

“That meant a lot to me,” Reisert, who had been going through difficult life moments when she first met Megan, said. “So I try to do that, just a simple little gesture—it can make someone’s day.”

Even the lighting, clean walls, and flooring installed during a renovation around the time of the COVID pandemic make the store feel alive.

With customer and volunteer numbers increasing by around 20 percent last year, according to management, St. Ann’s Thrift Store is looking to expand its operations even further.

Rev. Benjamin Brenkert, priest at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, said the thrift store is looking to utilize the building’s second floor to accommodate more space and is partnering with the adjacent People’s Arc Nature Community Center.

The community center, which opened in June, provides nature-oriented services for young people and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The church and People’s Arc management have been in discussions about collaborating, and members of People’s Arc may have the opportunity to volunteer at the thrift store, acquiring valuable skills that can aid in entering the workforce.

Inside the store, customers navigate through each section, with some frequent shoppers employing strategies to find the best products while chatting with friends along the way.

“Usually when I come, I see a line,” said customer Michelle, who ran into her friend Jane Smith while searching for party supplies. “I’ve learned over time to come later because they’re always putting stuff out. There’s always goodies to be found!”

On Oct. 15, the St. Ann’s Food Pantry and Thrift Store will be open simultaneously, serving the needs of residents regardless of their faith or ability. St. Ann’s Episcopal Church also recently installed an outdoor food pantry box called “Our Daily Bread,” near the church’s exit, where members of the community can quickly collect nonperishable foods, no questions asked.

“There’s so much happening, so much going on,” Brenkert said about the church’s happenings.