Mother Mary Beth Kennedy wanted to raise money to help missions around the world.
Six months after Kennedy died in January 2020, her granddaughter opened a thrift store in the midst of a pandemic to help people. A year later, Thrifter Heaven has raised money for a school in the Dominican Republic, an orphanage in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a senior citizen facility in Cuba while also trying to offer low-price items for shoppers in the Erie area. And the store has just moved to a bigger location, at 4455 West Ridge Road.
"We exist to help sell merchandise that people locally need and want at a price they can afford. Our hope is to help people locally but also to get people to rally behind this vision and help the many countries around the world that are in need of basic necessities such as food," said Angela Collins, a granddaughter of the late missionaries Mary Beth and Charles Kennedy.