New charity op shop ‘rummage room’ opens in Mount Maunganui

Mount Maunganui Habitat for Humanity ReStore op shop's new manager, Piper Gorman, and volunteer Anae Garret. Photo / supplied

Volunteers were busy setting up racks of clothing and pricing shelves of homeware before a new Habitat for Humanity ReStore op shop opened in Mount Maunganui last week.

The Tawa St shop officially opened on Friday, but work behind the scenes was going on for a while, thanks to volunteers found through Volunteering Services.

For new manager Piper Gorman, running the store was a “shot in the dark” that paid off. She had been working as a stock manager in retail at Bayfair and applied for the job while working out her notice.

“I’ve been an op shopper all my life and owned a small second-hand clothing business myself, but didn’t expect to get this job. It’s been a massive learning curve, too — it’s one thing being a consumer but quite another being behind the scenes.”

Seven volunteers pitching in got the store open, and many will stay on to help operate the shop. Others have to return to study or school next month, she said. The volunteers have been checking and hanging clothing, organising them into colours and sizes, and organising everything for the store to operate.

The purpose of the store appealed to Piper. It fundraises for Habitat for Humanity, a charity that supports people to buy, improve or rent a place to call home. Much of the shop’s stock comes from Bay donations.

“We operate more on a ‘rummage room’ basis, not wanting to take the more sterile route that some op shops have gone, where prices have crept up. We want to help people get into homes. It’s more about what we do than what it looks like in the store.”

For young volunteer Anae Garrett, 16, it was another chance to volunteer for a good cause. She has been volunteering through her school, and saw the ad calling for volunteers.

“I love how inclusive it is here. We’re always talking to customers, and we meet lots of interesting people.” She hopes to do more volunteering work and wants to work in early childhood education or hospitality when she leaves school.

The Mount Maunganui ReStore is operated by Habitat for Humanity Central Region, a registered charity and Community Housing Provider working in communities from Waikato to Wellington. Habitat Central’s ReStores raised $3.7 million in the last financial year to support their mission to build homes, communities and hope.