Some people look for treasures and others for good deals on the shelves of thrift stores.
In the Salvation Army’s Bowen Road thrift store rows of shelves line the centre of the store. The shelves are divided into sections with items neatly arranged in each area.
Ornate tea cups with saucers stretch the length of one shelf. The cups are adorned with a variety of floral patterns, such as red roses. On another shelf, there’s an assortment of knick-knacks, including one with a guitar-playing porcelain pig and a grandmother wearing a soft-pink and yellow dress relaxing in a rocking chair.
A steady stream of customers enter the store on a sunny Friday afternoon.
Customer Marlene McLean comes mostly to find furniture.
“I feel like the thrift store in general has higher quality [used] furniture for a better price,” said McLean. “And it’s better for the environment.”
Although she came for furniture, a few items in the children’s clothing section caught her eye and she ended up leaving with a few new items for her one-year-old daughter Betsy.
Finding items that aren’t typically sold on regular store shelves is one reason Eric Swain goes to thrift stores. He searches for antiques, tins and radios when he goes thrifting.
“I look at the back of it for chrome or metal parts, now everything is plastic,” he said.
He said some of the older items have cool designs, such as items made in the 1960s.
Thrift store coordinators and volunteers say people will never know what they’ll find.
The Salvation Army opened its first thrift store in Nanaimo in 1963. The idea was to offer low-cost clothing for people who needed it as well as raise money for the organization, said Rob Anderson, director of Nanaimo ministries.
The Salvation Army thrift stores were chosen as the Best Second Hand Store in the annual Best of the City survey.
“It’s exciting to be able to be awarded the best thrift store in Nanaimo,” said Anderson, adding that the Salvation Army provides many services in the community and it’s nice to have the community support it as well.
The thrift stores also offer an online store called Treasures for Your Soul.
“It’s the unusual items we have put on there,” said Anderson. “We are actually getting international orders online.”
Some online store items include First Nation jewelry and art, collectable jewelry, collectable plates and more.
There is also a silent auction for special items in the store each week. The auction closes on Saturdays at noon.
Money raised at the Salvation Army’s thrift stores supports the non-profit organization’s programs.
Money raised in 2015 allowed the organization to provide more than 85,000 meals at the New Hope Centre and 2,000 emergency food hampers.
The money also supports the Christmas Food Hamper program, which delivered more than 4,700 last year.
Other services include providing money for children to attend camps, helping residents with tax returns, giving more and 350 hair cuts and sending people for various medical treatments.
Dee Parr, Bowen Road thrift store coordinator, said the organization is able to offer these services because of community support.
“We could not do it without you,” she said. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
For more information about the Salvation Army thrift stores or to access the online store, please go to http://salvationarmynanaimo.com.