Hunting for second-hand treasures
Sarah Tudway-Cains, right, chooses to shop at second-hand stores for clothes and books for her son Sam.
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Updated: August 20, 2009 12:46 PM
Four-year-old Sam loves rummaging for treasures at garage sales and thrift stores, though he may not understand the reasons why his mom brings him there.
“You never know what you’re going to find,” said Sarah Tudway-Cains, Sam’s mom.
This September, Sam starts kindergarten so Tudway-Cains has been on the hunt for second-hand school clothes, notebooks and art supplies.
As a perpetual student at the University of Victoria, it’s a trick she’s learned for herself to save some money.
“I’ve often gone into thrift shops and they have a stationary section and I can get really cheap paper or any other kind of office materials,” she says.
“We’ve managed to get a whole host of things used,” she added, qualifying that some things, such as felt pens, need to be bought new.
For Tudway-Cains, the commitment to buy used is good for her pocketbook and her consumer conscience.
“For us, on somewhat of a budget, and also, I kind of get a guilty pang when I go into the mall … because I can’t go there without imagining ‘who has made that? Where did it come from?’”
Greater Victoria has an abundance of thrift stores, selling donated items at cheap prices.
Many of the stores are run by non-profit agencies, who use the store to generate funds for their charitable work.
“A lot of people don’t think of buying binders and (other school supplies) here,” said
Francina Chilibecki, the manager of a downtown thrift store run by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.
While supply at the store changes depending on what’s donated, it often offers paper supplies, backpacks and childrens’ clothing, ranging from 50 cents to three dollars.
University of Victoria students also frequent the shop every August on the hunt for cheap furniture.
The society runs five retail stores on the Island and profits fund a food bank and clothing vouchers for families in need.
“We’re the quiet charity,” Chilibecki said.
The Salvation Army, the Women In Need Community Coopererative and the Beacon Community Services all operate several thrift shops in Greater Victoria.
And, of course, there’s Value Village, the ultimate warehouse of second-hard wares.
While prices can be notably higher than other thrift options in town, it’s hard to argue it’s got the best selection by far.
rholmen@saanichnews.com
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