A Toowoomba op shop has turned an empty CBD shop into a new opportunity to sustain its social enterprise.
The former Golders shop on the corner of Margaret Street and Duggan Street has been transformed into a temporary pop-up venture for Collectables boutique op shop.
The op shop is a social enterprise run by Toowoomba community organisation, YellowBridge QLD, to provide work and training opportunities for people with a disability.
“Do you know that saying, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going’? Well, that’s us at the moment,” Collectables Manager Jenny Spain said.
“Ongoing roadworks in front of our main shop in Russell Street pushed us to think of a new way to keep shoppers coming through our door,” she said.
“The empty shop in Margaret Street is in a great location with lots of passing shoppers who may not have heard of or seen us before.”
“It is perfect for a pop-up shop so we decided to take a chance and here we are.”
The effort has been worth it with the pop-up shop enjoying a steady stream of new and regular shoppers.
“The response has been amazing. We have had more visitors in our shop than ever before, which means more opportunities to let more people know what we do and why,” Mrs Spain said.
“It is exciting for our staff and our clients who work in the shop to meet new people and help them find a collectable or special treasure to leave with,” she said.
“The community’s support makes us hopeful for the future of our social enterprise so we can continue to provide these real-life working opportunities for our clients with a disability.”
The pop-up shop is located at 210 Margaret Street until the end of September.