By KATRINA BRANDON

 

EVERYONE loves a good op-shop.

On April 26, the Moe Salvation Army (Salvos) Op-shop reopened after being closed for upgrades for a month. The doors were opened at 9.30am with a grand ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath, and Latrobe City councillor, Sharon Gibson.

The ‘thrift experience’ ceremony was welcomed by a band and the thrill of low prices for quality appliances and clothes.

Store manager, Sharon Ciantar said, “The first day went really well. Customers were very happy”.

Alongside the other happy op-shoppers, Ms Bath said she thoroughly enjoyed her time looking through the store’s new design.

“In this world, it is important to reuse and recycle,” she said.

“Not only do the funds raised go to programs that are so needed by our local community, but also where the Salvos through their thrift shops are recycling clothes, equipment and furniture that can and should be reused.

“It’s a win for winning programs that the Salvation Army have, and it’s also a win for recycling and keeping things out of landfills. So, congratulations to the Moe Salvos and to Sharon, the store manager. I’m sure there are many bargains to be had and much good work to have done.”

Ms Ciantar told the Express that upgrading the store has been exciting. The store had been sharing the block with Moe ALDI for two years. She said that this improvement could help them help more people, addressing the difficulty of living in today’s economy.

“I love it! It’s so exciting because it has been here for about two years, but we made it better. We made it a bit bigger. We have made it so we can spend more money helping people, putting more investment into our disadvantaged, our homeless, our women that come from a terrible backgrounds, like family domestic violence, we help them with that,” she said.

“It’s been a difficult time for everyone, and because the economy is so tough at the moment, we will keep striving to help more people, hopefully. Salvos is the third-best helper. We give back a lot, and Moe needs it. We are here to help.”

The store is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.