By Matthew Sims
Second-hand bargains and unusual finds are now up for grabs at Westfield Fountain Gate Shopping Centre.
Opened on Thursday 4 April, Charitable Recycling Australia’s new pop-up charity retail concept store ‘Charity Shop?’ is now open until Monday 5 June, offering 4100 items of pre-loved fashion from Salvos, Vinnies, Red Cross, Uniting, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Uniting and Save the Children, plus brand new pre-consumer clothing from ThreeByOne denim and Jaggad high performance activewear.
Save Our Soles owner John Elliott was the visionary behind the project and said the shop is designed for socially and environmentally conscious Millennials and Gen Z shoppers.
“This shop is about curating the products more,” he said.
“One of the other things we’re looking at is post-consumer products.”
Entirely run and supported by volunteer work, the net proceeds of the shop’s trading will go towards the charitable reuse sector’s environmental and social causes, contributing to both climate change impact and the transition to a circular economy.
Charitable Recycling Australia members also raise funds through their charity shops for the most disadvantaged in our communities, including food and shelter for those in need, crisis support, mental health and a wide range of disability and illness support.
Mr Elliott said the shop will also welcome pop-up activations from Westfield Local Heroes and Special Olympics competitors.
“To have a vehicle for our athletes to work in store is fantastic for them,” he said.
“It’s all about making the world a better place.”
The team behind the initiative includes project manager Charlene Perera, Kepler Analytics providing their customer insights software, re-Up providing upcycled bags free of charge, Shop for Shops fitting out the shop for free, Westfield providing PR support, photography, volunteers, stylists, activations and smart screen time at the centre to promote the shop and Be Collective providing help with volunteers.
The shop has an environmental target to save 47,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, save thousands of litres of water and divert 242,000 tonnes of clothing out of landfills through the reuse of clothing during the five-week run.
Charitable Recycling Australia director Jeff Antcliff said he was amazed by the work of Mr Elliott and the broader team.
“He’s done a tremendous job with pulling this together,” he said.
“We’re really proud in what we do.
“All the charities have put a product in.”
The ‘Charity Shop?’ installation is now open from 9am to 5.30pm at Shop 1020 near Big W.
