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A new Regina thrift store hopes donated clothing, furniture and household goods could become more than just a good deal.
Back to Life Second Hand Clothing and Home opened about a month ago as an initiative of Break Free Outreach Ministry, with a goal of supporting programs in North Central and eventually helping people build job skills.
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“This is just such a beautiful opportunity for us to show North Central and just the city that we care,” said store manager Chloe Norsworthy. “This is a way of us doing our part, I guess, in helping North Central in a little way.”
Norsworthy said the idea for the store came after Break Free Outreach Ministry received more donations than it could use through its existing programs.
“We were receiving so many donations to help North Central, the community that we serve,” she said.“Our executive director and board came to this idea where we’re going to start a thrift store to help the community.”
Back to Life Second Hand Clothing and Home was designed to feel more like a home than a traditional thrift store, with furniture and household displays throughout the space. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
The store sells clothing, housewares, furniture, linens, decor, toys, books and media. Norsworthy said the space was designed to feel more like a home than a traditional thrift store.
“We curated it where it feels more like you’re walking into a home instead of a thrift store,” she said.“We wanted the prices to be very reasonable to help the community still.”
Norsworthy said the money raised through the store would go back into programs offered by Break Free Outreach Ministry, including cooking classes, music lessons and art programs for adults and children.
“With the funds that we’ll be raising, we’ll be able to put more money into the programs that we have at the centre to be able to support children and adults in their growth,” she said.
The ministry also provides about 220 food hampers each month.
Housewares, dishes, artwork and decorative items line the shelves at Back to Life Second Hand Clothing and Home. The store opened in Regina last month. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
Norsworthy said the store’s next step would be launching a training initiative in the fall. She said the plan was to hire people from North Central, train them in the store and help connect them with employers and mentors.
“Come fall, we will be hiring people from North Central, getting them fully trained to the point where they feel confident enough to get into a new position, then set them up with an employer and mentor after that, and repeat the cycle,” she said.
She said the goal was to help people build confidence and purpose.
Crystal glassware and antique pieces are displayed inside Back to Life Second Hand Clothing and Home in Regina. The store sells donated items to fund community programs in North Central. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
“One of the things that we hear a lot from our community is that people want to feel purpose,” Norsworthy said.
“There’s a lot of people who just want to feel purpose in life, or like there’s a reason for something, and so if we can help people find that purpose and just get so confident to the point where they can go anywhere for a job after, that’s more than anything.”
The store currently relies on volunteers, along with Norsworthy and a sales associate.
Norsworthy said donations had already brought in plenty of characterful items, including antiques, glassware and furniture.
Donated dishes, glassware and household items are displayed near the front entrance of Back to Life Second Hand Clothing and Home in Regina. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
“I just can’t even believe some of the stuff we’re getting in,” she said. “It’s so beautiful, and just has such value still.”
She said the store would also offer “Break Free bucks” for people in need in North Central, allowing them to shop for what they need.
“It’s just such a blessing to be able to share it with the community,” she said.
People interested in volunteering can apply through the Break Free Outreach Ministry website.
Encore Market on 8th: Home Goods (above) is located at 2005 8th Avenue in Regina. Encore Market on 12th: Clothing is at 2817 12th Avenue. The two stores are running a month-long campaign this month to see more donations made to fund YWCA programs. (YWCA Regina/website)
Fresh start campaign highlights two other thrift stores
A new campaign is running this June to tempt thrift shoppers to visit two Regina thrift stores.
Encore on 8th – which carries furniture, household goods and home essentials – and Encore Clothing Market are being highlighted as part of the Fresh Start campaign by YWCA Regina and Casino Regina.
Staff at each store curate, assess and price each item fairly for a shopping experience that rewards the buyer, according to a release from YWCA Regina.
Alexis Losie, YWCA Regina’s senior director of operations and social enterprise, said she is proud of the Encore stores, which are open to the public.
“The items are quality, the prices are fair, and every dollar stays in Regina. This isn’t about getting by — it’s about a store worth shopping at, and a social enterprise model that actually works. Fresh Start is our invitation to the whole city to come see it for themselves,” Losie said in the release.
Every dollar spent at either store location goes directly back into YWCA Regina programs and services. During the month of June, Casino Regina will match any in-store donations, dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000.
Casino Regina staff are also volunteering and taking over the Encore Clothing Market for a full day this month. Blaine Pilatzke, Casino Regina CEO, said the business is looking forward to supporting YWCA Regina, women and families.
“Regina is a community that shows up for each other, and Casino Regina is proud to be part of that,” Pilatzke said in the release.
A summer sale will close out the campaign on June 27, featuring store-wide deals. Community members looking to get involved can stop by either store to shop this month or donate quality clothing or household items, in addition to stopping by the stores for the Casino Regina store takeover.
“The Encore stores have been doing extraordinary work. Fresh Start is simply an opportunity to bring more of Regina into that story, and to show people that shopping here is genuinely worth their time,” said YWCA Regina CEO, Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen, who also expressed gratitude to Casino Regina for its partnership.
Encore Market on 8th: Home Goods is located at 2005 8th Avenue in Regina. Encore Market on 12th: Clothing is at 2817 12th Avenue.
— with files from CJME News
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