Better Winnipeg: Volunteer thrift store reaches new milestones

WINNIPEG — There was excitement and a little bit of uncertainty when a group of retired ladies decided to open up a thrift shop in Winnipeg.

This was very different from the kind of work Carol Cribbs and Nancy Johnson used to do as nurses at Health Sciences Centre.

“We were so worried we wouldn’t have any donations, that was the thing,” says Carol Cribbs.

But she and the four other women who started the Just Like New To You Thrift Store at 635 Portage Avenue rallied their friends and family for enough donations of clothes, shoes, books and household items to launch to open the doors to the shop 10 years ago.

The goal was to run a thrift store that would raise money for special projects at the Health Sciences Centre – a hospital that is close to their hearts.

“I’ve really enjoyed the shop because it’s giving something back to a hospital that I worked in and cared about and graduated from. And it’s gratifying to be able to do that,” says Nancy Johnson.

During our visit to the store, in the thick of Spring there is no shortage of stock. A mountain of bags filled with donations is piled up in the back room of the store where the items are sorted and processed.

Many of the women who volunteer at the store are part of The White Cross Guild – an organization that’s been supporting the Health Sciences Centre for over 150-years.

The money raised from this decade-long venture has been spent on a number of projects over the years to enhance patient care.  Some funds have helped pay for refurbishing waiting rooms, providing sleeper chairs, rehab tools, a music program, the Women’s Hospital and even a discharge fund for patients who may need a walker or taxi fares to get to and from the hospital for appointments.

“When you see the list of all the places we give to and how happy they are that’s the most rewarding part,” says Cribbs who explains that a lot of things given to the hospital through the thrift shop funds may not have been in HSC’s budget.

The women at the store are celebrating their 10 year anniversary by reaching another incredible milestone – they’ve raised $500,000.

“We were stunned when we thought about it,” says Johnson with a smile. “When you see the prices around here, the prices are low and we keep them deliberately low because we’re dealing with people who don’t have a lot of money.”

Signs posted around the store advertise shirts for $2.00, tank tops for 50 Cents, skirts for $1.00, shoes for $3.00.

They are prices the ladies pride themselves on. Anything that doesn’t hit the racks or shelves at the store, are passed along to other community agencies in the city that help individuals in need.

“I always say to the girls, if we get a donation and it’s a pan that has a little mark on it, we hang onto it because for someone without a pan, it’s better than no pan,” says Cribbs.

The dedicated volunteers at Just Like New to You, are constantly looking ahead – storing the extra stock that’s out of season in the basement. Also on their minds is the future of this labour of love.

“I sort of worry a bit in the future, will there be enough volunteers to come forward when we’re too old to be here,” says Cribbs with a hint of concern showing through her soft, sweet giggle.

Just Like New to You is located at 635 Portage Avenue. Donations can be dropped off at the store between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Tuesday to Friday. For more information call 204-786-1653.

Better Winnipeg is a weekly feature that focuses on people and events that make Winnipeg better. If you have suggestions for stories, send them to betterwinnipeg@globalnews.ca.