In a time when prices are on the rise, Canadians are changing spending habits to adjust to higher prices, seeking more affordable alternatives to everything from food to clothes. This year’s Back To School Report conducted by the Retail Council of Canada found people are planning more carefully for routine shopping and PayPal’s Resale Renaissance Report found one third of Canadians purchase second-hand goods multiple times a month, with over 73 per cent aiming to stretch their money.
That’s what volunteers at St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral keep in mind as they run a weekly thrift shop out of the church’s basement.
The idea for the thrift shop came after the congregation at St. Paul’s saw how many items were donated during the church’s seasonal garage sales. After one such sale 45 years ago, the church decided a permanent shop could be beneficial for the community.
“Our thrift shop in Kamloops is really one of the most economically priced,” Reverend Kyle Norman tells The Wren. “Given the inflation, given the price of everything, we really feel that our thrift store is needed.”
The shop sells a range of items, including clothing, jewellery, appliances, housewares and knick knacks.
St. Paul’s also donates houseware items to those in need, such as Ukrainian families who have fled to the area and the thrift store includes a free section for all community members.
“There’s a lot of useful stuff at the free table,” Norman says. “We want people to know it’s there so that they can make use of it because we know that there are people who are really in need.”
Some of the money they earn goes towards ministry costs, Norman explains, but it’s also important to them to support the wider community. They have donated money from the shop to a variety of charities, women’s shelters and food programs in Kamloops.
Volunteers run the show at St. Paul’s weekly thrift shop
The thrift shop is entirely volunteer-run, from sorting and stocking to item quality checks.
Elizabeth Kavanaugh, a coordinator for the group of volunteers who sorts through and price donations, takes care to ensure all items are in a good state.
“I also take home anything that needs to be mended,” she says. “I do some laundry. I take the jewellery home to price. Right now I have a very beautiful china doll who’s in desperate need of a hair salon — that’s me.”
There is also a group of volunteers who run the storefront while the thrift shop is open on Fridays, all devoting several hours a week, Kavanaugh says.
“I feel like I need to give something back to the community. This is a way for me to do it and it’s connected to my church, so it was an easy decision.”
The thrift shop is open Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m in the basement of the St. Paul’s located at 360 Nicola St. in Kamloops (Tk’emlúps). The store operates every week, except over Christmas and in the summer months.
Since the thrift shop has reopened after the pandemic, the volunteers have been working on spreading the word, Kavanaugh says.
“Like so many other businesses, COVID affected us badly,” she explains. “We’re still trying to reach some of those people that used to be regular shoppers but aren’t aware that we’re reopened.”
While they sell just about everything, Kavanaugh says there are some items they cannot accept for donation. Due to space constraints, and the fact they have to put all the items away that don’t sell at the end of each Friday, they cannot accept large appliances or furniture. However medium-sized appliances including coffee makers or toasters, are fine.
Additionally, for safety reasons they do not accept bicycle helmets, children’s car seats or items with expiration dates.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering or donating items can drop by on Fridays, or contact the office for further information at 250-372-3912.
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