Recycling masters and second-hand store, The Green Shed, is sporting all new pre-loved items for sale, after an influx of staying-at-home cleanouts has left them fully stocked.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to spend time at home, The Green Shed co-owner Sandie Parkes said the business has been inundated with second-hand goods.
“We have ended up with so many things and I guess it is just because everyone was at home and having a clean out and contacting us asking us if we could take their things,” she said.
“We have been getting a ton of clothes per day and we are getting about a library’s worth of books every week. We have also been getting a lot of DVDs at the moment as well.”
Ms Parkes said she would compare the volume of items donated to what the business would usually see around Christmas time.
The business diverts preloved clothes, items and furniture from landfill into its warehouses in Mitchell and Symonston and through its stores in Canberra City.
However, Ms Parkes said both city stores have been temporarily closed due to the pandemic.
“The shops declined drastically because the city went basically silent so we closed them up straight away,” she said.
“The underground store is opening back on 1 July because it’s much bigger and can manage having more people through, but we are still deciding when to open our store in Garema Place.”
Items were still available for purchase in the warehouses, but Ms Parkes said it had been all hands on deck to sort through the volume of items.
“The staff are phenomenal actually,” she said. “Some did opt not to come into work and we gave them that option, but a lot of our casuals picked up extra shifts to help us out.”
The business holds a monthly charity day, where all profits go towards raising $10,000 donations for local charities.
As of March this year, The Green Shed had donated a total of over $1 million.
Ms Parkes said despite both city stores being closed, sales through the warehouses at Mitchell and Symonston had increased over the past couple of months.
“We have had an increase in customers and sales of about 30%,” she said.
“I think with nowhere else to go or shop, people were really keen to get out of the house.
“Some of the donated clothes can be a bit hard to move on but other than that we have managed in this really crazy time.”
