Vinnies, the go-to place for affordable and quality pre-loved items, has opened its biggest outlet in Queensland in Virginia.
Run by volunteers who are helping out the Brisbane Diocese of St Vincent De Paul Society, the op shop had been looking for the right place in Virginia for quite some time.
The Brisbane Diocese opened Vinnies to provide for the underprivileged who do not have enough budget for clothes. Over the years, however, the op shop has attracted shoppers from “all walks of life.”
In mid-November 2021, Vinnies in Virginia held a grand party to celebrate their opening, with free sausage sizzles and some prizes for shoppers who also got dibs on the outlet’s initial supplies.
Renzo Salvetti, the retail operations manager for Vinnies, told Loretta Ryan on her radio show that there is a strong demand for their service in the area.
After Vinnies closed for six to eight weeks due to the lockdowns, Mr Salvetti said there was an influx of demand for second-hand pieces, as well as an increase in high-quality donated goods.
The greatest thing about being the biggest Vinnies shop in Queensland is more space, more variety of items, where shoppers will really notice the difference of what they can find from the Virginia store, including a good selection of men’s items
While this is great news for the charity shop, Mr Salvetti also said that their volunteer number has gone down because of the impact of the pandemic in the older age group.
“Except for managers, we are wholly and solely relying on volunteer numbers,” Mr Salvetti said.
Vinnies Virginia is at 1804 Sandgate Road. Follow them on Facebook for updates.