OLDS — It looks like volunteers at the Nu2U thrift store and their customers will be able to continue seeing each other in the place they love.
That's because the town, which currently owns the facility, and the Olds and Olds & District Hospice Society (ODHS) reached an agreement in principle for ODHS to take over operation of the store.
That announcement was made Dec. 15 via a news release.
The town had announced plans to close the store permanently. Dec. 22 was slated to be the last day it would be open.
The tentative deal appears to have changed that, although details were still sketchy at press time.
Several reasons for the closure were cited, including increasing competition from other thrift stores, poorer quality donations, declining income and a belief that the town should not be competing with private business.
Town councillors were also told that town staff ended up doing things like snow clearing and taking trips to the landfill, thus diverting them from their other duties.
Last week, some Nu2U volunteers and customers sat down with the Albertan to share what the store means to them.
Tanya Nicholas is one of many volunteers at Nu2U. She’s been volunteering there for a couple of years.
She said the store proved to be a lifeline for her, lifting her out of depression.
“I had medical issues; I wasn’t working for a long time. Then I ended up having difficulty forcing myself out of my hole,” Nicholas said.
"I found a place that I could get out and go out to before I lost my mind entirely,” she added with a short laugh.
“At first, it was hard. Sometimes I’d miss a week or something because I couldn’t face people. You know, you have those internal arguments with yourself.”
However, after working at Nu2U for a while, “I didn’t have that problem getting out my door anymore.”
Barb Bilida has volunteered at the store for eight years.
She said the customers she’s dealt with have all said they found it to be a safe, friendly place to visit with some very good deals.
Bilida cited the example of an older man who came in and wanted to hear a CD that he liked, so she played it for him.
She offered to give him CD to take home and play, but he admitted he didn’t have a CD player. She later felt badly that she hadn’t just given him a CD player.
“If he comes in again tomorrow when I work, I will tell him I will buy him a CD player for him to have,” she said.
"He feels like he can talk to us. And I'm not sure how often that happens. To be very honest.
“I have been in a thrift store that didn't even really say hello to me, when I came in, or when I went out. I had to go up to them and thank them for allowing me to look around the store.”
Richard Ross comes in to Nu2U pretty regularly.
“It's just a neat place,” he said. “Walking in, you’re not obligated (to buy anything). They’ve got a lot of stuff that a person doesn't need that he's got to have. And it's kind of high-end. It's kind of a high-end thrift store in my mind.”
Cheryl Newton is another very loyal customer, a strong fan of the store.
She moved to Olds from B.C. about three months ago to be with family.
Newton worked as a youth and family counsellor for about 30 years.
“It's a community within a community,” she said. "People get lost if they don't have an anchor, a place to go. And that's what I saw here. And that's why I kept going there.
“And I love going (there). I see the camaraderie of people who know each other and people who don't know each other. The teasing, the laughing.”
Bilida said Nu2U’s customers have include some Ukrainian refugees.
“They came and got their pots and pans and anything else they needed to help them set up house to start,” she said.
Nicholas said a lot of people drop off household items at Nu2U specifically because it’s non-profit and doles out grants to the community when it can.
She also said lately, the store has been attracting customers from as far away as Calgary and Red Deer.
“It's not just in what we sell. It's what we give to each customer. We show our love for them our respect and welcoming,” Bilida said.
“At the end of the day, yes, we might be very tired. But you know, it's a really good tired feeling to know we've helped lots of other groups out.”
In just a few days after the initial closure announcement, volunteers received lots of written comments from customers who expressed sadness if the store did close.
