Nestled within the heart of the community is a place where wondrous items can be saved and cherished.
Opportunity stores have been around for decades. And these places allow buyers to get furniture, clothing and miscellaneous items for inexpensive prices.
Anne Price, a volunteer at The Lilydale Baptist Church Op Shop ‘The Mustard Tree’ strongly believes that Opportunity stores help the community at large. Especially with affordable, accessible and sustainable clothing.
“I think with today’s economic climate people are coming into op shops a lot more to buy clothing. And here at The Mustard Tree we do a lot for the community.” she says.
According to WorldMetric.org statistics the fast fashion industry is growing 21% each year. And places like local opportunity stores allow sustainable fashion to flourish.
Robert McKenzie from the Warrandyte Rotary Club Opportunity store also believes that Op Shops allows people with lower incomes to buy items at affordable prices.
“It gives people who may not have a large income the opportunity to buy merchandise at a cheap price,” he said.
Photograph by : Natalie Anderson
Opportunity store volunteers gain a sense of purpose and accomplishment, knowing that they are helping other members of the community access discounted merchandise. And selling sustainable, recycled fashion truly does wonders for not only our wallets but the environment too!
“We have a lot of students who come in wanting retro clothing and vintage clothing. It’s very handy, yes.” Anne said.
Photograph by : Natalie Anderson
