Volunteers from homelessness charity Emmaus South Manchester are putting the finishing touches to their new Emporium charity store which is due to open on Saturday 14 August.
The new Emmaus South Manchester Emporium will stock an eclectic selection of pre-loved furniture, homewares, collectables, vintage clothing, craft supplies and upcycled items. Proceeds from the sale of these items will go towards the charity’s aim of opening an Emmaus community to support homeless people and those suffering social exclusion.
Geoff Hall is one of the team of volunteers who is helping to get the Emporium fitted out and ready for opening.
Geoff said: “We’ve been working hard for the past eight weeks to paint the walls, polish the floor, build partition walls and generally, create an attractive space for our customers to enjoy. This work has been completed by a dedicated group of volunteers from Emmaus and St Andrews Church and it has been a real joy to see the team bring everything together.”
The Emporium has its own on-site workshops where furniture is restored and a Community Café serving drinks, cakes and light refreshments. The charity’s longer-term aim is to offer workshops and training so that local people can gain the skills to reuse items and make their own bespoke products.
Reuse, recycling and upcycling will be central to much of the activities at the new Emmaus South Manchester Emporium. Fixtures and fittings within the store have been created from reclaimed items including a counter made from leather-inlayed desktops.
Mark Booth, Project Leader for Emmaus South Manchester, said: “We’re very excited to be opening our first charity store and look forward to welcoming visitors in. Our Emporium will be a place to source interesting items, but we also want it to become a community hub offering experiences beyond your traditional charity shop.
“We’re appealing for more volunteers to get involved to help run the store and café, carry out collections and deliveries, and help with our future plans. Please visit our website for more details or call in to our store to chat to a member of our team.”
The large 2,000sqft store is housed in the hall of St. Andrews Church, located at the junction of Brownley Road and Simonsway. The store will start off by opening every Thursday to Saturday, 10am-4pm, and will look to increase opening hours once more volunteers get involved.
To find out more or get involved as a volunteer with Emmaus South Manchester visit: https://emmaus.org.uk/south-manchester
