There's a certain magic to thrift stores. Within their walls the old becomes new again; the discarded becomes the discovered. But, as Alex Tse found out when talking to Paula Douglas, a volunteer at the Richmond Family Place Thrift Store, there's more to it than that. For many, thrift stores are a necessity, a place to go for the clothes and household items that all families need, but not all can readily afford. They're places where no one is judged or turned away, and, because of this, they're places from which a community can grow.

 

The Richmond Family Place Thrift Store is, in so many ways, an ideal social enterprise. Like any consignment shop, the thrift store encourages the reuse of items in good condition that might have otherwise gone to the landfill. It is a treasure trove of pre-loved goods, each item filled with the intrigue and mystery of past lives.

“You have no idea what you can find at a thrift store,” says thrift store volunteer, Paula Douglas. “There are people who walk out with $150 jeans for five dollars.”

Aside from being a shopping hotspot for the consignment opportunist, the Family Place Thrift Store is also a charitable undertaking that gives back to the community. All thrift store revenues go to the Nova Transition House, a shelter for women and their children who are fleeing domestic violence, or to the Richmond Family Place Society, where there are programs for children, families, and refugees. Thrift store profits account for approximately 10% of the Family Place's total revenue.

Thrift store operations depend entirely on volunteers such as Paula. While many people go to thrift stores for the adventure of consignment shopping, there are also others that do so because of the alternatives are unaffordable. The thrift store is therefore also a service for low-income families.

“Sometimes you can see people struggling [internally], like, ‘I need this, but I need this too,’” recalls Paula. “Or you can see them thinking, ‘What do I have to put back to afford this?’ And then I say, ‘You couldn’t afford to take these? Okay, we’ll throw them in for you. We’ll just put in the extra sleeper or the baby shirt.’”

Paula cites examples like these as one of her favourite reasons for volunteering. Paula herself radiates the kind of boundless altruistic energy that comes from having genuine compassion for those most in need. Because the thrift store provides services to a diverse range of clients, it is critical to have volunteers that are highly empathetic and understanding. Paula affirms that working at the thrift store has taught her, above all, to be patient.

“The families that are coming in, some of them don’t speak very good English,” she says. “[Sometimes] they’re from different cultures, and it’s very difficult to try to understand where they’re coming from unless we talk to them and find out how they do things in their culture and their country. [It’s important to] be patient and understanding.”

 

Thrift store volunteer Paula Douglas stands next to a banner at Richmond Family Place, where clearly, everyone is welcome.

The thrift store is thus more than just a revenue stream for the Richmond Family Place. It operates on values of diversity, inclusivity, and charity and it creates a community around these beliefs.

“It’s like another family,” says Paula. “When something good happens, everyone wants to share, and when something bad happens we all offer support. The customers become a part of the family too. It’s a great, great feeling. I want to go volunteer everyday!”