Popular thrift store moving to new space

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Chances are that you've heard Chances Are is moving. Chances are you heard correctly.

The thrift store operated by the Uxbridge Hospital Auxiliary will be moving at the end of the year from its present location on Bascom Street to new premises in the south end of town. Chances Are manager Victoria Galbraith said no firm date has been set yet for the move, but hopes it will be completed in mid-December. The thrift store will be taking over a former doctor's office and walk-in clinic at the Rexall plaza on Elgin Park Drive. Chances Are will be closed while the move takes place, but Galbraith could not say how long it will be closed.

Galbraith said the two units at the new premises will offer the store - and customers - more usable space. All on one floor, the new Chances Are will have a store-front sales area, with donations being received at the rear doors. She said the receiving doors will be manned from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday, but there will be no bins or sheds for people to drop items off. Chances Are hopes this will help eradicate the dumping of unsellable items that now occurs at the current location.

Galbraith said former manager Karen Motherniak is in charge of completing the move, which she has been working on for some time. She said the move is necessary because the Bascom Street building is old and Chances Are has outgrown it.

"We don't have enough room," Galbraith said as she negotiated through crammed rooms to reach her small office.

She said there will be a number of pluses resulting from the move. The new store will be fully accessible and the plaza's large parking lot will be a boon. In addition, the store will begin accepting debit cards for payment of goods: currently, Chances Are only takes cash. The new space will also allow its staff to sort donations every day, instead of the current four days a week. Another plus for customers will be longer hours, including staying open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays.

The store will begin its Christmas sales on Nov. 1 (tomorrow) in an attempt to reduce the amount of goods that need to be moved to the new location.

Galbraith said the store's volunteers - over 100 - have mixed emotions about the move but the new location will not be a problem for them.

"I've got the hardest working seniors," she exclaimed, but noted the store is always in need of new volunteers.