The need was obvious.
On Saturday, Sept. 30, Tabitha's Closet held its Grand Opening. The store is owned by Monica and Andrew Switzer.
The Switzers are co-pastors at Kipling's Peoples Church. Along with the responsibilities that come with their role as pastor; the couple works together to identify and respond to various needs in the community. One of the ways that they sought to do this was with two very successful 'Pop-up Thrift Stores' that were held at the church.
It was during the second of these that the idea for Tabitha's Closet was conceived.
“The day before the second Pop-up Thrift Store, I was alone in the church,” Monica remembers. “Everything was set up for the next day. As I walked around, looking at all of the clothing that had been donated, I was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that was there. I just prayed that the people that needed these things the most would be able to get there.”
“The next day, I watched people filling bags with kid's clothes, jackets and other things that I knew they really needed. People were crying and thanking us as they left. It was so obvious that there is a tremendous need for something like this in Kipling.”
Faced with this need, Monica and Andrew felt led to open a thrift store for the community. Although the idea for Tabitha's Closet rose out of her role as a pastor, Monica explains that the store is not connected to the People's Church.
“I looked into the idea of this being operated through the church. But, this is a need that impacts the whole community. We want people to know that their donation is going towards that need; rather than feeling that they are making a donation specifically to our church.”
She notes that while most of the merchandise available at the store has been donated, there are new items to be found in Tabitha's Closet as well.
“About 80% of the clothing we sell here has been donated. We wash or steam-clean all of the donations that we receive. So, people can know that our clothing is clean and ready to wear.”
“But, we have brought in a few new items. For example, we haven't had quite as many clothes for men donated. So, we brought in some new items like 'standard' work-shirts, so that we could have something here for the guys. We also have some items – such as jewelry – that we've sourced from companies that we believe in and want to support.”
The Switzers have also gone to considerable effort to make the store 'family friendly.' As Nicole Levy (Assistant Manager and Monica's sister) points out:
“We've provided a place for people to sit down and read a magazine or enjoy a cup of tea. And, we have a space for younger children to play. That way, one or two members of the family can be shopping, while the kids play and another family member sits down to relax and wait. We really want to provide people with a beautiful place to come in and shop for good, affordable clothing.”
Nicole adds that a system is being put in place that will benefit those who choose to donate to the store.
“We're in the process of implementing a 'Points System' for the people that donate to us. We assess the articles that a person has donated to determine what price they will be sold at. The person then receives a percentage of that in the form of 'points' that are an in-store credit.”
The Grand Opening was a huge success, with approximately 300 people attending the event on Saturday. Sydney Wennberg was the lucky raffle winner of the Grand Prize of a $350 shopping spree in Kipling.
Monica notes that this affirms the encouraging comments that Tabitha's Closet has already been hearing from its customers:
“People's response to this has been overwhelmingly positive. I've had many customers come in and say 'Thank-you for doing this. Kipling needed something like this'.”
