Stepping Stone Hospice’s charity shop journey has been an exciting one – from a few makeshift shelves in an office, to two containers converted into a second-hand shop, to the beautiful The Charity Shop in Alberton Mall, which opened in June last year, to this new one, which will also be known as The Charity Shop.

Stepping Stone’s first ‘container’ second-hand shop, Ububele, which traded out of the Amcare premises in New Market Park, will be closing its doors as soon as the new shop is up and running. “Ububele was a wonderful starting point for us,” says Brenda. “We learnt a lot about running a charity shop – from collecting and sorting goods, to pricing items and keeping track of top sellers, that kind of thing. Our focus now will be on the existing shop in the Alberton Mall (opposite Springbok Pharmacy) which will contain mostly bric-a-brac and other collectables, and this new shop, which will house home and office furniture, some appliances, clothing and books.

Says CEO, Tersia Burger: “We are very excited about the new charity store. Many people would be surprised at just how much revenue the sale of second-hand goods can bring in. That is why so many hospices and other non-profits have shops of this nature – as a means of generating funds to help cover day-to-day running costs. There’s that old adage that ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure’ and this is so true. Our shops wouldn’t be possible without the generous donations we receive from the community. We encourage everyone to keep supporting us with second-hand items of all shapes and sizes, so we can continue to raise much-needed funds for our hospice.”

If you have pre-loved goods that you’d like to donate to Stepping Stone Hospice’s charity shops, kindly contact Brenda Peach on 083 289 0380, email brenda@steppingstonehospice.co.za or visit the charity shops’ Facebook page @ Stepping Stone Hospice Charity Shops.

Caption: Eager to welcome the first customers – Stepping Stone Hospice’s Retail Manager, Brenda Peach, can’t wait to open the doors to the organization’s second charity shop.