One-stop Rotary op shop

THE Rotary Club of Ballarat West has opened an op shop in Sebastopol.

Stocked with pre-loved and new clothing for women, men and children, antiques, kitchen and lounge furniture, homewares, and books, the store at 4 Albert Street, has been open for two weeks.

Club member Sue Simmons is project lead and said the store operates to raise money for community organisations like the One Humanity Shower Bus, The SoupBus and women’s refuges.

“We donate the funds to anyone who needs them at the time, and they don’t go outside Ballarat,” she said.

Mrs Simmonds and her team of 16 club volunteers are striving to ensure the shop always has a warm, welcoming ambience and “upmarket” quality goods available.

“We’ve had some wonderful donations. The general public is lovely. One man last week contacted us… turning up with a small truck with boxes and boxes of things,” she said.

“Someone gave us a bag of brand-new men’s clothes, all with the labels on. We’ve found first edition books. We get lots of nice quality stuff from the Rotarians as well.

“We can’t do our normal fundraising due to the pandemic, so this has given the whole Rotary Club a new permanent outlet, for a few hours a month.”

Fellow club member Wayne Cooper said wider community support has already been “amazing,” with many local businesses, including carpet cleaners, signwriters and locksmiths donating their services to get the shop up and running.

“You get some lonely people coming in, so it’s not just about raising funds for the community, it’s being there for them, having a chat, and making sure they feel comfortable to come in,” Mrs Simmonds said.

Donations can be made while the shop is open from Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm. On Thursdays, they are open until 6pm.

If donors have large items to give, they are encouraged to let the club know ahead of drop-off, so volunteers can open the rear of the store, and meet them there. Volunteers can also pick up or deliver items.