Quirky, quaint and always unique, great deals are plentiful at Ballito’s SPCA Dog Box charity shop

You never know what you might find when you visit the SPCA Dog Box Charity shop in the Boulevard shopping centre, Ballito.

From retro bicycles and mismatched tea cups to golf clubs and hundreds of books, this quirky shop has a constant flow of second-hand goods that are quickly snapped up by their eager customers.

Beloved of locals and holidaymakers alike, the shop caters for the poor, who make up the bulk of the store’s regular customer base, and others in search of a great ‘deal’.

Shop volunteer Carol Saunders said the shop was the main fundraiser for both Durban and North Coast SPCAs, but its dual function of providing the poor with good quality second-hand clothing and household goods at a very low cost, made the shop invaluable to the community.

The 20-year-old shop recently reopened with Covid-19 protocols in place, forcing them to restrict the number of people in store and reduce trading hours.

Saunders said many of their 26 volunteers were at risk, reducing the team to just 10 people.

“We now only have enough manpower to be open from 11am until 2pm, Monday to Saturday,” she said.

Only 5 shoppers are allowed inside at a time, no children under 12 and you have 15 minutes to shop.

“The community has been so understanding, we really appreciate your patience.”

Donations are the lifeblood of the store. Saunders only asked that donors clean their donations and not include any rubbish or broken goods.

“We are not a rubbish dump,” laughed Saunders, relating how just last week a snake had arrived hidden in a bag filled with dirty clothes and broken appliances.

The volunteers are not afraid of hard work and they often put on their rubber gloves to sort through donations in the shop’s tiny back room.

“It would make such a difference if donations arrived clean and in good condition.”

The store cannot accept pornography, pirated CDs or DVDs, dirty underwear and anything broken that cannot be fixed.

“Your continued support allows us to keep raising much needed funds for animals in need.”

Visit them on Jack Powell Road in the Boulevard Centre or phone 031 5794352.

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