Amy Walshe, of the Charity Retail Association, highlights ten innovative ways charity shops are adapting.
Over the past decade the world of retail has changed dramatically. With the continued rise in popularity of internet shopping, a long period of recession and an arguably waning high street, all retailers have had to adapt in this new era of shopping. Charity retailers are no exception and are responding with a range of varied, interesting and new ways to do charity retail.
Here are just a handful of charities doing something a little special with their shop space.
1. Goodstock
Run by young people for young people, Goodstock is redesigning the charity shop experience for a new generation. Everything, from the concept, design and marketing has been thought of from the point of view of a cutting edge fashion brand.
With the flagship Manchester-based store having space for events, gigs and workshops across the three shop floors and a second store opening in London’s trendy Portobello Road this December Goodstock is shaking up the traditional charity shop image.
The charity also provides young people with the opportunity to increase their skills, confidence and employability through volunteering. 40 per cent of UK retailers are under 25 and Goodstock is run by young, trained volunteers who want to develop their retail and entrepreneurial skills. It also offers a platform for young creatives and entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products and services to the local community.
2. Rowans Hospice
Rowans Hospice in Portsmouth have a charity shop entirely dedicated to getting crafty.
Sourcing solely donated craft items, the shop is a real Aladdin’s cave for crafters to explore and to ask for help and advice on their latest craft project.
In June 2015 to celebrate the shops first birthday, shop manager Julie Bennett asked customers and hospice volunteers to create items for the window that represented the English countryside.
The handmade display (pictured) featured a large tree with buttons for bark and pom-poms for leaves, families of common countryside animals like badgers, foxes and ducks, mythical creatures like gnomes and pixies and its own knitted picnic.
The display quickly become a local attraction and the project proved so popular that this December a similar display featuring elves working in the toy workshop is delighting local Christmas shoppers.
3. Everything Baby
Everything Baby is a dedicated baby, toddler and maternity
shop in Inverness with additional space for parents to get together, share experiences and bring their babies for activity sessions.
The shop is designed with new parents in mind so there is plenty of space to manoeuvre buggies and for toddlers to test out toys. There are baby changing facilities and a comfy space to rest or feed for exhausted mums of newborns.
Activities put on include parenting workshops, breastfeeding support, baby massage and a group specifically for dads and grandads where they can relax with a cuppa while the little ones are introduced to a wonderful mix of activities including messy play, stories, music and garden play.
4. St Richard’s Hospice
Taking inspiration from high street regulars such as Debenhams and House of Frasier, St Richard’s Hospice’s has opened its very own charity department store.
Combining a number of elements from fashion to bric-a-brac, lighting and electrical, homeware, bedding and curtains each department also has a designated sales area.
The hospice’s other stores are continuing this multipurpose trend with a shop in Worcester which combines a café with a large book department and clothing downstairs. The store has also started a regular book club where people use the café to read and discuss books over a coffee and cake.
5. Sense
Sense Trading ran a project in September involving 60 teenagers of 15 to 17 years who had never previously met. They worked in five teams over several weeks with an overall objective to generate stock for five Sense shops.
The project titled ‘Junior Battleshops’ brought out a mix of fun and fierce competitiveness as the young teams battled to come up with ideas, and then action these to help the shops gain more donated stock from the public.
Each team developed structured business plans and their proposals were presented to the Sense panel in a Dragons’ Den- style setting where the teams were provided with feedback and mentoring.
A few weeks later this experience was complemented with each team actually working for a Saturday in their designated shop.
6. Earl Mountbatten Hospice
The retail team at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice is working with HMP Isle of Wight to bring new handmade products to their local high streets. Selling everything ranging from bird boxes to money boxes and concrete garden ornaments in time for Christmas.
Additionally, the Prison is supporting them with the turnaround of some of their donations. Twice a month they take clothes to the prisoners who press, hang and tag the items ready to be sent out to their ten shops and to be sold to the public ensuring its stores are always fully stocked. This has led to an increase in sales.
7. Wandsworth Oasis
The newest addition to the family of Wandsworth Oasis shops has so far seen a whole host of activities take place under its roof because the the store is registered for use as an unusual venue for events.
Four sessions of live jazz at the Wandsworth Fringe festival were hosted by the shop and a local chef brought some Middle Eastern glamour to the store when it was converted it into a souk for an evening. Customers sampled Lebanese cuisine while being entertained by Arabic music and a troupe of belly dancers.
The charity recently turned its hand to festival organisation putting on UPFest - a celebration of the role charity shops play in recycling. In the run up to the event a host of live mannequins (including a lady on a sewing machine making recycled hair accessories from fabric) were positioned in the shop window to both startle and intrigue passers-by. UPFest culminated in a fashion show of up cycled clothing from the shops.
8. Shelter
Shelter has launched the Homestarter project. This is a new scheme where stock in the furniture stores (including furniture, cutlery, pots, pans, clothing and bedding) is given directly to some of the charities clients who have an urgent need.
People are referred for a multitude of reasons, some have fled domestic violence, others are refugees. The very first Homestarter family was a single mum and her eight month old baby. After moving from a hostel to their new home, they had nothing but a few clothing items and a baby bath.
The scheme has been a huge success and has been a real source of motivation for staff and volunteers who can see that they are directly helping individuals to change their lives. Shelter is now rolling out the scheme to include some of their non-furniture shops which will be stocking ‘Homestarter boxes’ – packs of small essentials like bedding and cutlery.
9. Greenhouse at Emmaus, Brighton
The greenhouse is no ordinary garden centre. It’s an extraordinary place where a love of gardening meets creative imaginations and is designed to inspire you to look at your outside space in a new way.
The greenhouse offers a range of plants, shrubs, herbs, display planters as well as garden related furniture, tools and books
A range of gardening related products has also been developed with the Emmaus ‘upcycled’ touch. Planters, terracotta pots and any weird and wonderful objects for use in the garden have been transformed by the green-fingered Emmaus team.
Customers will find unique products and great ideas for the garden to add a personal touch to everyone’s backyard.
10. Dr Hadwen Trust
There will be no bargain leather bags on the racks at the Dr Hadwen Trust (DHT) charity shop in Hitchin town centre.
A range of other items will be banned from shelves, too – because the store only stocks vegan goods which are not derived from animals.
As the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity, DHT wanted to open a shop which was consistent with their values and DHT staff believe it’s the country’s first that’s 100 per cent vegan.
Having been open for just 16 weeks the shop has received tremendous support from the vegan and non-vegan communities and has received many donations of new goods from vegan businesses, allowing them to offer a range of pre-loved and new goods.
Shoppers at the vegan charity shop can choose from a selection of clothes, trinkets, books, beauty products and even cake mixes donated by The Vegan Cakery.
