Langley thrift stores are opening their doors again, with the three largest, Value Village, Talize and Mission Thrift Store all welcoming customers back this month under new restrictions designed to combat the spread of COVID-19.
On Wednesday morning, May 13th, the Talize thrift store at 20450 Logan Avenue became the latest to re-open, with shelves rearranged to help maintain physical distancing while staff in personal protective equipment carried out continual cleaning of “high-touch” areas.
Talize is operating under reduced hours, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
On Tuesday, Talize staff were advising donors that only a limited amount of contributions could be accepted.
A statement released by the management of the Canadian-owned thrift store chain said the Talize store in Delta was also reopened Wednesday, but other stores in London, Peterborough, Kitchener, Brampton, Mississauga, Whitby, Kingston, Hamilton and Barrie remained closed.
“We will continue to monitor and adjust our safety measures as necessary to ensure a safe shopping environment for both our customers and employees,” the statement said.
A week earlier, when the nearby Value Village store reopened in Langley with similar COVID-19 precautions, it produced lineups of donors who had been storing up contributions for the date the store reopened.
READ MORE: VIDEO: Donors line up as Value Village store reopens in Langley
Value Village communications director Sara Gaugl said they had expected a rush of contributions as stores reopened.
“We’re anticipating a high volume of donations of clothing and household goods, particularly in the short term, as spring cleaning has become a popular way for people to pass the time,” Gaugl said.
Store hours were shortened, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Located between Value Village and Talize, the Mission Thrift Store at 20500 Logan Ave, is planning to reopen next week on Tuesday, May 19th, according to an online message on their Facebook page.
The new store hours will be Monday-Saturday noon to 5 p.m. the announcement said.
Their online statement of purpose describes Mission Thrift Store as a “volunteer-driven, non-denominational Christian organization that currently operates more than 50 thrift stores across Canada.”
READ ALSO: City council approves thrift store limitations
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Most of the smaller Langley thrift stores remain closed with no definite opening dates set yet.
One exception was the Hope for Children Thrift Store at 20211 56 Ave, which announced it will reopen Tuesday, May 19, from noon to 4:30 p.m.
“We will be taking precautions regarding sanitization of frequently touched areas, limiting the number of people in the store at any given time and directing traffic flow to maintain required physical distancing,” their Facebook page said.
Preferred payment is debit or credit, but cash is accepted as well.
While it was shut down, Hope for Children was selling items for curbside pickup through its Facebook page.
International Christian Response shop on 5788 203 Street said it might reopen in June.
Penny Pincher Thrift Store at 205560 and 20560 Fraser Highway had announced it would be accepting donations on Thursdays between 9 a.m. and noon, but then posted an update on their Facebook page calling it off.
“We will not be open this coming Thursday from 9am until 12 pm, or until further notice,” it read.
Second Story Treasures at 20349 88 Ave in Walnut Grove was accepting donations, by appointment only, through phoning 604-513-9319.
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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