Vinnies on Old Northern Road in Castle Hill closes its doors after 40 years

After more than 40 years of helping the Castle Hill community, the Vinnies outlet on Old Northern Road has served its final customer.

After more than 40 years, the St Vincent de Paul Society store on Old Northern Rd in Castle Hill has closed its doors for good. Volunteer store manager Ann Young-Hancock (left) and longtime customer Garnette Price. Pictures: Troy Snook

• Artist brightens up The Block
• NSW Planning defer decision on $7.5m Glenhaven Mosque

After more than 40 years of helping Castle Hill’s most vulnerable, it was the end of an era for the local community on Friday as the St Vincent de Paul Society shop on Old Northern Road closed its doors for the final time.

Vinnies opted to allow the lease on the landmark store to expire in order to concentrate on growing its Victoria Ave shop.

The lease on the store was allowed to expire in order for Vinnies to concentrate on growing its Victoria Ave shop.

“By combining our two shops into one, Vinnies shoppers can access our products and services via a single location in Castle Hill,” Vinnies NSW retail operations manager Phil Basti said.

“Vinnies has been an important part of the Castle Hill community over the past four decades.

“The rapid growth and popularity of the Victoria Ave site with Vinnies shoppers since the start of the year has demonstrated that by consolidating our goods into one convenient location we can have greater impact within the local community.”

Longtime customer Garnette Price was “devastated” to hear of the store’s closure.

Longtime customer Garnette Price said she was “devastated” to hear of the store’s closure.

“Nearly every day I’m in Castle Hill I go in there,” she said.

“It just shouldn’t be closing. The older one has got a different atmosphere. You go into that new one on Victoria Ave and it’s not quaint- it’s like walking into a Target store.

“We’re … just a place where people drop off things they don’t need any more.”

For 82-year-old volunteer Ann Young-Hancock, the Vinnies at Old Northern Road has been so much more than just a vintage shop.

Manager Ann Young-Hancock said the store has been much more than just a vintage outlet.

“It was somewhere to go to try to help the community,” she said.

“There are a lot of lonely people out there and it gives them a bit of security. A lot of people have problems and they talk to you when they can’t talk to their own families and you listen and help them.

“You feel like you’ve been needed because it’s a hard world out there and it makes you forget your own troubles then too.”

IN OTHER NEWS