The concern surrounding the expansion of Howe Sound Women's Centre Society's second-hand store, Pearls 2nds, appears to have subsided because of the renovation's aesthetically pleasing look.
"I think it's great what they did and it looks good," said downtown business owner Gregory Fischer, who expressed concern about flooding downtown with second-hand stores when the expansion was announced in March.
"I still stand by how I felt - I don't mind second-hand stores, it's just that we already have six and I was worried that another one wouldn't be good. But what they did was made a nice big one. Now if the other second-hand stores would follow suit and make it nice and appealing, that would be great."
Pearl 2nds' grand re-opening on Friday (July 1) was a huge success, according to store manager Kate Harvey.
"The grand opening was fabulous and worked out great with all the Canada Day activity downtown," she said, adding that customer feedback in general has been really positive.
"I think a few customers in the community were really concerned that with this fancy reno we would up our prices, but we haven't," she said.
"Anyone can come in and get a whole outfit for $12 and in this economy, there's a lot of people that rely on us."
Rhea Thompson, who visited the store with daughter Winter on Tuesday (July 5), was impressed with the changes and said she depends on Pearls 2nds for affordable clothing.
"I come here several times a week and this is a great improvement. It looks really spacious, really tidy and well organized and I'm happy that this place finds support in the community," she said.
"It's important to have a shop like this because the cost of living is so high in Squamish that people need a place to find affordable clothing and household items."
But the customers aren't the only ones who rely on Pearls 2nds.
All proceeds from Pearls 2nds go toward Howe Sound Women's Centre programs and services.
"We have the transition house in Squamish and the safe house in Pemberton where women and children go when they flee violence," Harvey said.
"Through the women's centre there's a number of programs for children and women, such as a free legal clinic for women, a multi-cultural outreach clinic for women, the children who witness abuse support program and the drop-in centre itself - and these are supported by Pearls 2nds and other funding sources."
Harvey said she hopes the store's look will attract new customers, bringing more revenue to the women's centre.
"We've doubled our space, doubled our square footage and the feedback from the customers has been, 'What a remarkable difference in terms of everything being spread out so you can now find things,'" she said.
"For the first time ever, we've actually got our clothes sized so when customers come in it's a much more convenient and pleasant shopping experience."
The shop looks more like a department store than a thrift store. Harvey said that's largely a credit to volunteer Monica Kristiansen, who is a designer and merchandiser.
"She's the mastermind behind this whole layout and an absolute godsend to us," Harvey said.
The store is run through volunteers and Harvey said that's one difficulty with doubling the space - more volunteers are needed. To volunteer, visit Harvey at Pearls 2nds on Cleveland Avenue.
