A Forty Year Journey
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In 1979, a small group of volunteers coming together for the purpose of creating a fully functioning, non-profit business with the purpose of all proceeds to go to the Canadian Mental Health Association, The Post Thrift store has grown into a family of both staff and volunteers working together to give back to the community. Early in the venture radio, community bulletins and newspaper were utilized for acquiring volunteers. Though these methods were beneficial, throughout the forty years the most successful way to find volunteers has been by word of mouth. As a result, The Post has maintained a presence within the community, bringing with it much change.
The store initially functioned with eight core volunteers, all undertaking the tasks of sorting, cleaning, pricing and presentation on a daily basis. Like any retail store, The Post set direct responsibilities to members of the team to keep the flow of donations moving. The element that set this store apart from many others is the emphasis placed on the success of their volunteers. Typically, the goal of any retail store is to ensure the needs of the consumer are met. The Post had a dual responsibility wherein the needs and goals of the volunteers were just as significant as those of the consumer.
The Post Thrift Store was operated by volunteers until 1998, when the first paid staff member was hired. This would become the catalyst for more change as a supportive work program for individuals who struggle with mental issues was initiated in 1999. During this time, The Bookstore, Clothing Store and Treasure Store each functioned independently from one another. This system continued until 2004, when the Treasure Store and Clothing Store became one, and the Bookstore occupied an operating space of its own.
Over the years, The Post would see its share of growing pains which made it necessary to move locations several times. The need for more space to accommodate the support of the community being the most notable factor, The Post would continue to grow. With each move, volunteers and staff would seek ways to improve their routines for sorting and pricing. Maintaining a widely knowledgeable team would soon become a must have. In doing so, The Post volunteers and staff would eventually begin to overlap as their experience would prove beneficial across many areas in the store. As time progressed, it became apparent that The Post would benefit from moving the Bookstore from its own space to join Treasure and Clothing, becoming one entity. This decision would create a new outlook for the volunteers and staff, as all departments moved forward as one.
