Kathleen Conroy-Cass of Seymour is the proprietor of St. Anthony’s Book & Gift Shop at 131 Main St. in downtown Seymour.
It’s one a few brick and mortar Catholic shops left in the area.
Valley Indy: How long have you been open and what made you decide to open a Catholic store in the middle of an antiques district?
Kathleen: I started with $300 worth of rosaries, selling rosaries at churches. We’d do a display at churches after masses on Sunday. I did a Christmas fair here in Seymour at St. Augustine’s in 1999 and someone told me there was a little rental available next to Mr. Rogol’s downtown. There were not a lot of antiques shops then. There were still stores like Seymour Furniture.”
Valley Indy: Of all the names you could have chosen for your store, you named it after St. Anthony. Why is that?
Kathleen: St. Anthony’s Church is my church in Ansonia. He is also the patron saint of the poor and widows. I’m not a widow, I’m divorced, but I’m poor. And he finds things, so I’m constantly talking to him. He’s also the patron saint of lost souls.
Valley Indy: What are your top-selling items or categories?
Kathleen: “My number one selling item is the St. Joseph House Selling Kit (bury St. Joseph statue in the yard and the house will sell.) I sell hundreds of them. I wish I sold everything like that. Next would be rosaries, and then saint medal jewelry. I do sell a lot of books, but not as much as before because everybody has a Kindle.”
Valley Indy: Are your customers from all over the Valley, or is it just people from Seymour?
Kathleen: “They’re from all over. I have people from Seymour who don’t know about me, and find out from people in Stratford they work with who come up to see me. I get that all the time, people who live in town and never knew I was down here. A lot of Catholic stores have closed since I got here, and the key is for people to know I’m here.”
Valley Indy: Are people in the Valley spiritual and religious? What are they like from your perspective?
Kathleen: “I want to say there is a big gap. I have older customers who are very religious. And you have younger families, so it’s a mix. (People from) churches who aren’t Catholic won’t come in here because it’s called St. Anthony. Then they come in here and say ‘This is exactly what I needed.”
Valley Indy: How has your business helped people with their spiritual needs?
Kathleen: “I’ve had people considering suicide. They came in here and started talking to me, and I told them there isn’t anything happening to you that God can’t help you through. I’m living proof of that. I’m a cancer survivor myself. I’ve had thyroid cancer and cervical cancer. I like to encourage people.”
Valley Indy: Can somebody be spiritual, not religious, and find something?
Kathleen: “Absolutely. I have a friend who does not go to church but she shares God’s love by feeding the hungry and clothing the poor. We’re supposed to live by those virtues. She doesn’t go to church but she’s talking to God all the time. People who come in here may not go to any church. It’s all inspirational. My job is to let people know that when you think you are at the bottom, God has appointed angels. He never leaves us, we leave him.”
Due to a recent back surgery, the store’s summer hours are Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call her at 203 – 888-3390. See her on the web at www.stanthonygift.com.
