East Rand Palliative Care’s (ERPC) flagship charity shop has opened its doors, offering shoppers an upmarket thrifting experience.

Before officially opening on April 7 at the Summerfields Shopping Centre, Atlasville, the ERPC team took a moment to admire the shop’s layout and contents, marvelling at what was achieved through the generosity of loyal supporters of the home-based palliative care organisation.

“For some time we have envisioned giving our nine existing shops a modern make-over, tapping into the thrifting culture and creating a space that feels like an upmarket vintage store,” said ERPC media liaison Jonquil Siepman.

“When this space was made available to us at the Summerfields Shopping Centre, we jumped at the opportunity to throw our existing limited resources into the ring, in an effort to realise this dream.”

Taking receipt of donated wood that ERPC already had at its disposal and adding where needed, Manny Ferreirinha, owner of Mannys Hardware Supplies, enlisted the expertise of his in-house carpenter,
Lorné Potgieter, to custom-make elegant display racks.

With the help of Homestead Helpers for Benoni, the storefront was adorned in the organisation’s rich blue, resembling a high-end boutique.

“This is a dream come true,” said Blaine Groenewald, ERPC charity shop co-ordinator. The store still offers a wide variety of quality pre-loved items at reasonable prices, which are beautifully displayed in what feels like a chic store rather than a charity shop.

“With the support from the community and local businesses, I hope that our remaining nine stores across the East Rand could undergo a similar transformation.”

Shying away from praise, Ferreirinha said that results like these can only be achieved through community effort.

“If our contribution leads to more feet streaming through the doors and making purchases, then we have achieved our goal,” he said.

“ERPC’s work makes a huge difference in the lives of those living with life-threatening and altering diseases.

“Not only do they offer holistic medical care, but they support families as they come to terms with a potentially devastating diagnosis.”

Andrea Nazam, ERPC general manager, thanked the team for creating a beautiful new chapter in the organisation’s four-decade-long history.

“As we celebrate 40 years of compassionate care, I wish the team at this store great success. May every donation turn into a sale,” she said.

Help towards the success of the ERPC charity shops:
This shop, as well as the nine others under the ERPC banner, relies solely on donations to keep its racks stocked while proceeds generated through sales directly fund the organisation’s daily operations.

Donations can be delivered directly to the various shops, or a collection can be arranged. For more information, call 011 422 1531 or email info@erpc.org.za

The shops’ operating hours are from 09:00 to 16:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 12:30 on Saturdays.
Helping hands are also needed to sort, stock, price and sell.

If you have a couple of hours to spare and want to make a difference in the lives of others, email volunteers@erpc.co.za

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