Clothing and housewares purged from Marie Kondo-inspired closet clean outs can no longer be dropped off at the Share Family and Community Services thrift store in Port Moody.
But Tri-City residents still accumulating — especially seasonal items, such as singing snowmen, Santa costumes and Easter baskets — have plenty of good deals to choose from as Share’d Treasures sells out its remaining stock.
After 40 years of selling gently-used and new goods to support Share social programs, the store on St. Johns Street is closing because it’s losing money.
“There’s still lots of selection,” says Roxann MacDonald, director of programs and programs at Share, who said customers are streaming in to get good buys, many of them expressing disappointment at hearing the news that the store is closing.
Store manager Krissie Sondles, who has worked at the thrift store for 34 years and will transition to a new job with the food bank, says shoppers can still get deals, including 50% off on everything except cabinet and boutique items until Sunday, March 3, when everything will be 50% off.
Everything has to go so it doesn’t end up in the landfill, and Krissie is doing her best to get customers in the door for items such as costumes, seasonal items, clothing, shoes and housewares.
Money raised from sales will go to cover closing costs, any remainder will support programs, such as the food bank.
Times have been tough for the store, which has seen fewer customers at the same time costs have been rising.
However, MacDonald agreed it’s unusual for a thrift store to be closing at a time when people are being encouraged to recycle more, especially clothes.
Metro Vancouver is asking people to recycle their clothing instead of throwing it in the garbage — 44 million pounds of clothing was dumped in the landfill last year.
And the recycling non-profit Return-It launched a new used clothing pilot program last week to help Metro Vancouverites give their textiles a second life.
The three-month pilot program will run from March to May at Coquitlam Return-It depot at 104-2560 Barnet Highway, giving people another option for disposing of their old clothing.
MacDonald pointed out the store can’t exist on donations alone, people have to be prepared to purchase the goods, too, and there were simply not enough customers, and revenue, to justify keeping open the store.
“It’s great to have donations but unless people are coming to purchase something we end up being a disposal site and the sales were unable to keep up with the cost.”
Share’d Treasures is expected to close as soon as all the items are sold.
