Thrift and Give Back: A Win Win in Winnipeg.
Charmaine Jennings’ love for thrifting lead her to become a content creator in partnership with The Salvation Army Thrift Store. She is also the founder of a women’s entrepreneurial support community in Winnipeg called Hustle + Charm. Recently her community came together for a thrift party at the largest Salvation Army Thrift Store in Winnipeg, the Nairn location.
“Hustle + Charm is a community of women in business in Winnipeg, and we do a lot of business events, but also social events as well,” Jennings explains. “We have a big community of thrifters, and one of our members recommended a thrifting day. And because I am a content creator for the Salvation Army, I’m like, why not combine that connection with our love of thrifting?”
Jennings encouraged her community to collect items to donate and bring them to the Thrift Store for a VIP shopping party before the store opened to the public one Saturday morning. They were greeted by the store manager, manager of National Recycling Operations in Winnipeg who shared how donations are processed and what happens to donations that can’t be re-sold. The local Salvation Army communications manager was also on had to share how Thrift Store sales support the work of The Salvation Army in the community.
Jennings attributes her love of thrifting to her grandmother, who would often take her out thrifting for an afternoon. While she admits she didn’t immediately love it as a child, it’s become a family tradition she holds dear and continues to this day. Both her mother and grandmother were part of the shopping party that day too.
“Honestly, I like the energy here and the quality of the stuff I find here is pretty good as well, and I can always find a good variety,” Jennings says. “There’s other thrift stores I’ve been to where it’s just not that community feel, and the quality just isn’t there. I grew up coming here, and I find that I always leave with more than 10 items, more than I intended,’ she jokes.
“I think it’s important for customers to understand more about how their thrifting supports community. I think a lot of people love thrifting just to find unique finds things that are affordable, but there’s so much more to that than just what you’re purchasing,” she says. “It’s going towards helping a lot of different people, whether it’s food banks, or people who are struggling with finding a place to live. There’s a lot to it. Just as important as it is shop, it’s also important to donate to keep the stores stock and to keep being able to support these communities.”
Photos provided by Hustle + Charm partner, Daezerae Gil Photography.
