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Grand opening held for bright and beautiful
new Thrift store on Kent Avenue in Kitchener
Grand opening held for bright and beautiful
new Thrift store on Kent Avenue in Kitchener
On November 29, Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr cut the t-shirt ribbon to officially open the Thrift on Kent store located at 50 Kent Ave. in Kitchener in a celebration that drew about 200 people. Visitors were invited to take a tour of the new building and stay for a free lunch that was preceded by grace sung in four part harmony lead by Waterloo Regional Chair Ken Seiling. From left: Ontario Thrift Stores Coordinator Pattie Ollies , Thrift on Kent manager Heather Gallian, Mayor Carl Zehr, MSCU branch manager Ruth Konrad and MSCU CEO Brent Zorgdrager.
By Carrie Debrone
Kitchener Citizen
December 5, 2013
If you venture in for a unique shopping experience at the new Thrift on Kent store, located at 50 Kent Avenue in Kitchener, you will definitely get more than you bargain for.
For one thing, there is a tractor on display. It represents the roots and philosophy of the thrift store and the Mennonite Central Committee’s inter-national relief work around the world.
In the 1920s the MCC started by sending $1.2-million worth of tractors to Russia’s Ukraine to help farmers grow their own food for the then starving population.
The new 50,000-square-foot building housing the thrift store is as modern, clean, bright and beautiful as you will see in any upscale mall. The old building was completely demolished in September 2012 to make way for a new one.
The new main floor store, which has about 16,000 square-feet in area, shares space with the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union (MSCU), which has been located on the property for 50 years, while the Mennonite Central Committee and other agency offices are located on the upper floor of the new building.
The Mennonite Central Committee formerly operated two thrift stores, one on Bridgeport Road in Waterloo and another on Lancaster Street in Kitchener.
Each store was kept in operation until October, when they both moved to the Kent Street location.
“It’s a dream come true to have this new location,” said MSCU CEO Brent Zorgdrager, who said the credit union gave $500,000 towards the project.
“This space is very befitting of who we are. It demonstrates what it is to be in community and to strive to work together,” said Zorgdrager.
“This is a great, great location,” said Kitchenr Mayor Carl Zehr who was on hand to cut the ribbon, made of t-shirts that were tied together to form a rope.
(The only t-shirt actually cut was one that was too old and stained to be sold).
Describing it as a “profile building” in the city, Zehr noted that it will be close to the LRT route.
He praised the work of the MSCU, (Zehr has been a member of the credit union since his father bought memberships for his family when he was a boy) which he said is one of the most respected credit unions in Canada.
He also praised the work of the MCC for it’s “very high level of credibility throughout Canada and the world” for its work to help after natural disasters, including the recent Typhoon Haiyan response in the Philippines.
“This thrift store is in a beautiful space. Not all thrift stores are in as nice a space,” Zehr said.
Noting that the building is very visible, Rick Cober Bauman, Executive Director of MCC Ontario said it represents a “coming out for the MCC.”
“We are not the quiet in the land anymore,” he said.
Thrift on Kent sells a variety of clothing, housewares, furniture, and includes seasonal and sporting goods sections. It also runs an ongoing silent auction for unique items.
“Both of our former stores had outgrown their spaces. We are able to serve everyone better now and we have more room for volunteers. We’ve brought the mall experience to thrift,” said Pattie Ollies, Thrift Shop Coordinator for Ontario.
The MCC runs 13 thrift stores in Ontario, which are managed by 25 people who coordinate over 1,200 store volunteers.
All funds raised from the sale of donated clothing and household items supports the international work of the MCC.
The new store includes a donation area at the back of the building, where items can be dropped off.
Kitchener Citizen
December 5, 2013
If you venture in for a unique shopping experience at the new Thrift on Kent store, located at 50 Kent Avenue in Kitchener, you will definitely get more than you bargain for.
For one thing, there is a tractor on display. It represents the roots and philosophy of the thrift store and the Mennonite Central Committee’s inter-national relief work around the world.
In the 1920s the MCC started by sending $1.2-million worth of tractors to Russia’s Ukraine to help farmers grow their own food for the then starving population.
The new 50,000-square-foot building housing the thrift store is as modern, clean, bright and beautiful as you will see in any upscale mall. The old building was completely demolished in September 2012 to make way for a new one.
The new main floor store, which has about 16,000 square-feet in area, shares space with the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union (MSCU), which has been located on the property for 50 years, while the Mennonite Central Committee and other agency offices are located on the upper floor of the new building.
The Mennonite Central Committee formerly operated two thrift stores, one on Bridgeport Road in Waterloo and another on Lancaster Street in Kitchener.
Each store was kept in operation until October, when they both moved to the Kent Street location.
“It’s a dream come true to have this new location,” said MSCU CEO Brent Zorgdrager, who said the credit union gave $500,000 towards the project.
“This space is very befitting of who we are. It demonstrates what it is to be in community and to strive to work together,” said Zorgdrager.
“This is a great, great location,” said Kitchenr Mayor Carl Zehr who was on hand to cut the ribbon, made of t-shirts that were tied together to form a rope.
(The only t-shirt actually cut was one that was too old and stained to be sold).
Describing it as a “profile building” in the city, Zehr noted that it will be close to the LRT route.
He praised the work of the MSCU, (Zehr has been a member of the credit union since his father bought memberships for his family when he was a boy) which he said is one of the most respected credit unions in Canada.
He also praised the work of the MCC for it’s “very high level of credibility throughout Canada and the world” for its work to help after natural disasters, including the recent Typhoon Haiyan response in the Philippines.
“This thrift store is in a beautiful space. Not all thrift stores are in as nice a space,” Zehr said.
Noting that the building is very visible, Rick Cober Bauman, Executive Director of MCC Ontario said it represents a “coming out for the MCC.”
“We are not the quiet in the land anymore,” he said.
Thrift on Kent sells a variety of clothing, housewares, furniture, and includes seasonal and sporting goods sections. It also runs an ongoing silent auction for unique items.
“Both of our former stores had outgrown their spaces. We are able to serve everyone better now and we have more room for volunteers. We’ve brought the mall experience to thrift,” said Pattie Ollies, Thrift Shop Coordinator for Ontario.
The MCC runs 13 thrift stores in Ontario, which are managed by 25 people who coordinate over 1,200 store volunteers.
All funds raised from the sale of donated clothing and household items supports the international work of the MCC.
The new store includes a donation area at the back of the building, where items can be dropped off.