Saturday July 8, 2023 | COLWOOD, BC [Updated January 25, 2024]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
People who are looking for bargains — because they have to, or because they want to — are glad that the Women In Need (WIN) store is open again in Colwood.
The store used to be located in Langford but the pandemic and high rent sent them packing in 2020 to find a new location.
The new store is located at #2-310 Goldstream Avenue in the small strip mall next to Thrifty Foods in Colwood. Their retail neighbours include Diamond Eyecare and House of Nutrition.
The grand opening:
The store actually opened a few days ago and has seen steady foot traffic since then. Today the store was jam-packed with shoppers and guests for the grand opening.
Island Social Trends was the only media there to cover the local event today.
On hand for the 12 noon grand opening from City of Colwood council were Mayor Doug Kobayashi and Councillor David Grove. WIN Executive Director Clair Yazganoglu opened the brief outdoor ceremony. Emcee for the very brief speeches was West Shore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie Lawlor.
Lawlor said having the ribbon cutting shows that “WIN is really important”.
About WIN:
The store helps low-income families, seniors and others with the cost of living by offering clothing and household items at prices that are low enough to be affordable but still enough to contribute to the WIN enterprise (there are six WIN stores called resale shops).
Yazganoglu explained that WIN is a non-profit community service cooperative with the mission to support women, trans and non-binary people to “move along their own unique journeys”. She said that the thrift stores are an important part of that mission. With the pandemic now in the rear-view mirror: “Now we’re back and we’re so grateful to everyone being so welcoming,” she said.
Marketing and communications coordinator for WIN is Jasmine Philip. She was there today helping with the prize draws and operations overall.
The mayor’s welcome:
Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi said he thinks the shop will be “extremely successful” given the turnout of customers at the store today, as it’s also been for the last couple of days during the soft opening phase.
Today there were lineups at the checkout off-and on-for over an hour.
The mayor welcomed the enterprise to Colwood: “On behalf of all the citizens of Colwood, welcome, and we wish you all the best success in the future,” said Kobayashi.
Donation inventory:
The full range of inventory — all of it donated — includes clothing for all ages and genders, shoes and other fashion accessories, books, linens, housewares, and furniture.
Store hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays 12 noon to 4 pm. [Updated January 2024]
Items for donation may be dropped off Tuesday through Thursday between the hours of 10 am and 12 noon.
These economic times:
Given that over 27% of the Canadian population is known to be low-income (over 11 million individuals or households received the federal government’s grocery rebate this past week), the need for a low-cost shopping experience is a win-win scenario for individuals and families as well as the WIN mission to support folks in need.
At all WIN Resale Shop locations, customers can get a 25% discount on Tuesdays. Seniors get 25% off on Wednesdays, and all students and teachers get 25% off on Saturdays.
SECTIONS: COLWOOD | ECONOMY | FOOD SECURITY
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke has been writing insight-news since 2008. Her publication series has covered news of the day through broader socioeconomic and political insights in the west shore region as well as key sociopolitical and socioeconomic issues of today’s broader society, as published by Brookeline Publishing House Inc under these mastheads: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), West Shore Voice News (2014-2020), and Island Social Trends (since 2020).
The Island Social Trends print edition (previously West Shore Voice News) launches later in July 2023, after a three-year hiatus during the pandemic years. During 2020-2023 news has been published entirely online at IslandSocialTrends.ca and this news portal will continue.
The print-bound copies of MapleLine Magazine, Sooke Voice News and West Shore Voice News are already part of the permanent collections at the Sooke Region Museum.
Ms Brooke now reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery, as part of delivering regional news on Vancouver Island.
This year, Mary P Brooke has been nominated for the Jack Webster Foundation Shelley Fralic Award to recognize a professional female journalist whose journalism makes a contribution to the community.
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