St. Vincent de Paul to relocate two retail stores

St. Vincent de Paul Green Bay will relocate two thrift store operations this spring, including the retail operation from the longtime east side location, 920 Weise Street.

The nonprofit that provides basic needs assistance to members of the greater Green Bay Community purchased the former Planet Fitness building, 1831 Main Street in 2025.

By late spring of 2026, the site will host the organization’s new east side thrift store.

The Weise Street location will continue to house the organization’s business offices, central processing and resource center, while welcoming the relocated discount Dig & Save operation, from 2121 Van Deuren Street.

“The moves will improve operational efficiency and offer more spontaneous accessibility for shoppers and merchandise donors,” says Bill Gosse, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Green Bay.

Paul Ihlenfeldt, director of operations for St. Vincent de Paul Green Bay, notes the location changes will improve visibility and convenience.

“Our primary goal was to move our retail location to a more retail-friendly area that has approximately 18,000 cars passing each day,” he said.

Remodeling of the Main Street retail space began in October of 2025 with interior demolition.

The interior will be updated to match the visual standards of other St. Vincent de Paul locations, including flooring, paint, fixtures and five fitting rooms.
Construction of a new interior wall creates 15,000 sq ft of retail space and 4,000 sq ft of merchandise processing space.

A donation canopy and drive through will be added in front of the store, and a new loading dock will support moving products.

“We believe this will be a heavy donation site and we need effective logistics to move excess product, says Ihlenfeldt. “The new loading dock will support efficient loading of trucks, while the new donation canopy in front of the store will make it easy for donors to drop off their items and provides great visibility from Main Street.”

While the retail space will be smaller than the current East store location, Ihlenfeldt feels the smaller space will create a nice shopping environment for customers and a more efficient merchandising space for employees.

Several retail-focused teammates and volunteers will transfer to the Main Street site, while Dig & Save employees will relocate to the Weise Street location. No job additions or reductions will occur.

Retail volunteer opportunities will carry over to Main Street with Weise Street housing central processing volunteer duties.

The move of the Dig & Save, a pay-by-the-pound thrift outlet, to Weise Street, offers proximity to warehouses and recycling areas for unsold goods.

Moving to the primary warehouse improves efficiency for background work and reduces transportation costs.

The projected opening of Spring of 2026 is dependent upon construction and exterior projects impacted by weather such as asphalt replacement.

“Our store revenue and generous donations, both in merchandise and dollars, are critical in funding our mission,” explained Gosse. “These changes not only improve our visibility but likely increase our ability to provide tangible and spiritual support to those who are suffering and living in poverty.”