Op Shops serve their communities

Our Thrive Op Shops are an important part of who we are and what we do in Canterbury.

They bring in money to help run our services, they provide for clients who need warm clean clothes, they give work opportunities for clients and volunteers, they are an important source of low-cost clothes and goods for people on a tight budget and they are an important way to recycle goods to make our city even more sustainable.

Over the last 18 months, we have been sprucing up our Op Shops to make them more attractive.

That’s coincided with shifts in most cases but recently we also gave our Sydenham shop on Buchan Street a make-over to welcome shoppers with a fresh face.

Thrive Retail Team Leader Josie Cox says part of it is making room so they can sell small furniture in Sydenham because furniture sales are so popular (that’s why the Op Shop team particularly loves furniture donations).

Josie says about 20 regular volunteers work at Sydenham and across all shops (including Rangiora, Bryndwr and Tuam) there are about 60. So the shops have a very strong community feel and community heart to them.

“We are here to serve the community,” Josie says. “We raise money for the Mission’s work but by offering cheap goods we’re also helping out people in the community get things for their home they couldn’t afford otherwise.”