Amelia Cartwright: Hello and welcome back to the Charity Shops Chats podcast with myself Mimi Clark-Chaps and me Charlotte Greenwood. ⁓ As this podcast is powered by the charity retail consultancy ⁓ supporting with expert retail guidance training and strategy to maximise income and impact ⁓ and forget to check out the charity retail learning in partnership with the CRA ⁓ for sector specific training designed to help your teams to thrive.

In-person participant 1: hello and welcome back to the Charity Shop Chats podcast with myself Mimi Cartwright. And with Charlotte Greenwood. ⁓ As always podcast is powered by the Charity Retail Consultancy, supporting charities with expert retail guidance, training and strategy to maximise income and impact. And don't forget to check out the Charity Retail Learning in partnership with the CRA ⁓ for practical specific training designed to help your teams to thrive. today's episode is all about rethinking what a charity shop can be not just a place to donate and buy but a space for community and creativity ⁓ well as sustainability Increasingly aren't just looking for transactions. They are looking for connection ⁓ and experiences feel meaningful And that is concepts like restore in urban on the west coast of Scotland come in ⁓ spaces that bring reuse repair creativity and community all under one roof. They're not just shops, they're hubs, places where can learn new skills, reduce waste and feel part of something much bigger. So today's guests ⁓ are part of a movement is really redefining reuse looks like on the high streets. So Restore is a social enterprise model that brings together reuse, repair and community ⁓ clothing and books, to DIY materials. ⁓ It's all about items a second life whilst creating opportunities for people to learn ⁓ new skills and confidence and access affordable goods. What I love about this is that it goes way beyond what people might traditionally think of as a charity shop. You're not just browsing and buying. You might be learning how to fix something, volunteering, or even gaining experience that leads into employment. ⁓ And the other thing that really stands out is the inclusivity. These spaces genuinely welcoming, whether you're donating, shopping, or just popping in for a chat. So today we're going to explore what Restore actually looks like in practice, how it works, the challenges, ⁓ and why model feels so relevant right now. So put the kettle on, turn the volume up and let's get stuck in. Welcome to the podcast, Katrina and Louise. ⁓ It's such a pleasure to have you with us. ⁓ So welcome to Shop Chat. ⁓ Thank you very much. ⁓ So get us started then, can you us a little bit yourselves and your job roles? ⁓

Amelia Cartwright: Welcome to the podcast, Katrina and Louise. It's such a pleasure to have you with us. So welcome to Charity Shop Chat. Thank you very much. So to get us started, can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and your job roles? Thanks So I'm Katrina Pati and I run Hope Kitchen, which is a charity in Oban. And we ⁓ run a community cafe, we run a community garden, and then we're the lead partner in the Restore Charity Shop. And so I've been doing that. working and being involved with Hope Kitchen since 2014 when we moved up to Oban. And it's just a place of come home. Come home to Oban, which is lovely. I've never lived there before, but it feels like my home. And come home to an amazing charity that I love working. My name is Louise Murphy and I'm the shop coordinator. So I run the shop on a day-to-day basis. I actually set the practical side of the shop up as well back in November 2023. It's a long time ago now. I'm originally from Essex and a bit like Katrina, I've found my way up to the west coast of Scotland and never want to leave. I actually worked for Hope Kitchen before I worked for Restore and that's how the connection came with the shop.

In-person participant 1: ⁓ So for anyone hasn't come across ⁓ it before, ⁓ is Restore ⁓ simple terms? If can be, because ⁓ it seems like so much ⁓ to be ⁓

Amelia Cartwright: for what is Restore in simple terms, if it can be, because it's been there so much. It's so very very bad. I think we can just describe it in simple terms. It is a charity shop primarily, but we have a rescued food element and we have a workshop element and it's very much become not a community hub because that suggests that people come in, they sit and... have a cup of tea and whatever, we don't offer that. But it's very much a place that the community can come into and get cheap clothing. They can get cheap food. They can learn to, but they can learn new skills, can't they? They can learn to mend their clothing. We don't offer that. We don't do that for them. We've very much once had that as service that we can offer them to mend their own, whatever they've got. Or they can make things. We make bags. We do things at Christmas. So ⁓ from a charity shop point of view, we offer clothing at a very cheap price. It's an in-out shop, so we get our donations in, the stuff goes back out. So we don't have masses of storage out the back. We don't have loads of stock. It's very much, you know, we get it in, we get it out. And that means we have a nice big turnover. So that's sort of it simply.

In-person participant 1: So Restore brings together several local charities then and how does that collaboration come about and how does it work in practice?

Amelia Cartwright: So Restore brings together several local charities then, how did that collaboration come about and how does it work in practice? So it came about because I think sometimes when you're leading a charity it can feel like quite a lonely isolating job, it's quite hard. Oftentimes you're just trying to get the next pound in to be able to keep the doors open for another month or year or whatever. so a few of us had started to get together informally to be able to support each other. ⁓ and to be able to look at sometimes being able to apply for joint funding. ⁓ so we'd actually, all of us weren't able to apply for some of the more strategic government funding because we didn't have enough different areas of that funding that we could contribute. But all together, we could fulfill the funding criteria. So we've actually, in the end, formally got together as a collective. ⁓ to even though it's not a legal structure, it's just that we have a memorandum of understanding and we work together ⁓ to be able, and we work together on the ⁓ ICF, which is the Investing in Communities Fund. So we've ended up having that for three years. And so at the beginning of the chat, at the beginning it was just about and and funding and things like that. ⁓ And then we heard Mary's Meals, which is one of our kind of like... the charity shop in Oban pretty much, you the main one that kind of people rave about ⁓ It was actually set by people from ⁓ the ⁓ down alley. So it felt local, Mary's Meals. And so I think we a phone from ⁓ some of the volunteers who were really desperately sad that the shop was shutting. ⁓ And so ⁓ they said, ⁓ do you fancy opening a charity shop? And I was like... No, I don't fancy everything. All I could think of was charity shop is just a lot of hard work and very, very difficult to make it work. And I just was like, that's absolutely no, I'm not interested in that whatsoever. And then we were, I was actually away on a development weekend with some of the other charity partners and they were, and I just mentioned it and an off chance. And then they were like, right, we've got to do it. We've got to do it. And actually, because Louise was already working in the cafe and I thought, actually I've got somebody who... do this job and I think if we hadn't have had the synergy of the right person for the job to get it started and running and the sense of everybody feeling an enthusiasm for it I don't think it would have happened and actually it's become that there's a project by which to bring us together I think sometimes if you have these networks of connections then they don't sometimes don't work so well if you don't have things that actually work on together so that's how it's been really good

In-person participant 1: I've got somebody who could do this job and I think if you hadn't had the synergy of the right person for the job, just get it started and the sense of everybody feeling an enthusiasm for it, I don't think it would have happened. And actually, it's become, there's a project by which to bring us together. I sometimes if you have these networks of connections, then they don't sometimes don't work so well if you don't have things to actually work on together. So that's how it's been really good. solved it but like you said it sounds like it was actually the energy from the people that actually brought it into fruition in the end.

Amelia Cartwright: it sounds like it was actually the energy from the people that actually brought it into fruition. I think it was the right timing though, wasn't it? Because I was at a bit of a crossroads with my particular job at Hope Kitchen as well and it just everything slotted in to place with Mary's Meals closing my part of my job and you everybody else being very enthusiastic about it which was amazing. And yeah, and the right and the right premises coming along as well. ⁓ another property came up ⁓ in high street, ⁓ in George Street, which actually is a much, for us, much better ⁓ And it's a much bigger and it's all under roof. ⁓ So we haven't got the two shops. ⁓ So actually ⁓ worked out really well in the end and we ended up getting a prime location really, didn't we? You people can outside and... give us their donations, know, it's much more flexible space.

In-person participant 1: amazing and for you, you said that you don't have a retail background, how was the transition? Because it sounds like you really jumped into the deep end to put it lightly.

Amelia Cartwright: It sounds like you jumped into the defense. I did. my background actually is I was an office manager for 15 years. So I'm and I'm I've just got a talent for organization. So that's my sort of gift. And we were I remember going for a coffee with Katrina and she just looked to me and she said, so how's your fancy managing, you know, and setting up Restore then? Oh, we didn't have a name at that point, actually. How do you fancy setting up charity shop? And I just. Couldn't think of a reason why not, to be quite honest. So I just, yeah, I'll give it a go. And I just, and it just, everything just fell into place. And I went to put the keys up and looked at the space and just thought, what can we do with the space? And we had to, you know, we had to do stuff, had to do decorating and we had lots of things to fix. And I just worked it all out, how I was going to run it and how everything was, the systems were all going to work and everything. And we got a really good till system, which I think has really helped, doesn't it? If we hadn't have had the good till system, it would have been much more difficult. And then it just progressed and everything just fell into place. A lot of hard work. I mean, a lot of, you know, hard work for everybody, but brain power for me just, you know, setting it all up. And it's been the most amazing challenge of my life. It's been brilliant, absolutely brilliant. We did actually go and visit. So as part of it, we went to visit other places and got some other ideas from other kind of charity shops all over. Ullapool, Mull. And, you know, and we went to Edinburgh to see what other people were doing. Like, picked the best bits really from those places and developed them and Louise focused them on what we were going to do in our space as well. And then also having all of the kind of collaboration of all the different people from all the different backgrounds that came and were involved. So we could all play to our strengths. you know, we could all, I was, I'm quite good at negotiating. So I ended up sort of negotiating with the owner about the rent and things like that and doing the lease and sorting out some of the kind more legal side of things. so, and other people had a real passion for the sustainability aspect of it. So I think it's about just being able to identify what our passions are and what our strengths are and being able to really press into those. I mean, there are things that Louise, you know, she's like, this is my lane, this is what I do. And then other people can go. How do people do that bit? you're not so involved in the workshops, though, you know what it but... No, I completely handed that. didn't want anything to do with the workshops. I didn't want anything to do with rescued food. I think that's why it's worked, I'm the coordinator of the shop, Sarah's coordinator of the food, and Aideen is the... What's her official title? She's the development officer She's the development officer for the community collective, and she sort of is in charge of the workshop area. And it just works really well because we've all got our roles. So no one's feeling that they need to encroach onto anybody else and it will run smoothly. Yeah, and it's successful from that point of view. how many charities are kind of within this one space? So the founding partners of the collective, which is now called the Open Collective, were Hope Kitchen, Allie Energy, Open Youth Cafe, and Healthy Options. And we're all...

In-person participant 1: Nice. So how many charities are kind of was in this one space then?

Amelia Cartwright: open-based charities and we all are focused on open in the surrounding area, although Ali Energy has a slightly larger scope, but we're all kind of set up in the area. So we actually, it's quite good, it's a lot of us have, our trustee base, our structures are fairly able to be quite spontaneous, so we're not waiting for a national organisation to go, ⁓ yes, you can do that now. We can actually go, right, no, this is how we're going to do it, and then... We can change things and adapt things and we can make decisions together a lot more easily than we would do if we had a bigger structure around us. So actually it was Vicky who, ⁓ who advised us on the till system, for example, say. And we've got Daniel at the end of the line who can always tell us all the information that we need.

In-person participant 1: and it's about that local community, know, you are within the community, you're serving the community ⁓ and run by the community and that's a fantastic message to put out there. ⁓

Amelia Cartwright: I think we're a community shop. We're also a big tourist area in Oban. So we serve our community, but we also serve people that are coming up, tourists, and especially on the west coast of Scotland. We were talking earlier, people come up, they forget to bring a wooly hat, they forget a coat, they forget socks, they need blankets. We have all those things as well. It's not always cold in Oban, but people do come up to Scotland and they're not prepared for the weather, especially if you're from the south or if you're from abroad. We get a lot of ⁓ people from abroad coming up on holiday. So we really do serve quite a big demographic of people. ⁓ But we have a lot of community that come in every day. They donate, they buy, they donate, they buy, or they might just buy and they never donate. people that donate, they know that when they give a donation in that the money is going back into the community, which is really important to them actually. And we get some, I mean, we get some fantastic stuff in. think that one of the things that's quite good is that ⁓ we're not in competition, we collaborate. so we don't, ⁓ we're much like, actually, ⁓ Oxfam are really looking for non-fiction books and we'd really like you donate to that. We don't do ⁓ really non-fiction ⁓ we encourage people to go and check out the other charity shops and sometimes if for example on the rare occasions we're not accepting donations we always say ⁓ Cancer Research are really looking for some more donations and so we've got those personal relationships with people who are in the other charity shops so I think it's really important that we kind of foster those and nurture those.

In-person participant 1: Absolutely. yeah, we're all, although we're all here fighting for different causes, we're all under the same understanding that things need to change and here to help that. And so yeah, those relationships with ⁓ our ⁓ community and with our sector ⁓ are so vital and it's ⁓ such an important message.

Amelia Cartwright: things need to change. And so yeah, having those relationships with our community and our sector are so vital and it's such an important message. Especially in a small town, you you have to get on with everybody. You can't, you know, be in tough competition because it just doesn't work, you know? You have to support everybody. You have to support each other. You have to support everybody for the community to survive. So that is important.

In-person participant 1: Amazing. So moving on. Can you talk us through what happens in the restore space day to day?

Amelia Cartwright: So moving on, you talk us through what happens in the restore space day to day? ⁓ So on a day-to-day basis, we have the shops open from 10 until four every day, apart from a Sunday. And then the rescued food is open from 11 until one every day. ⁓ And then we have workshops. I think we're doing twice a week at the moment and we do do extra ones, especially at Christmas. We do extra, we make lots of different things, don't we, at Christmas. We've got a fashion show going on at the moment. So the workshop is in use a lot. We've got lots of clothes hanging everywhere and lots of models coming in for fittings and stuff. ⁓ So that is a very well used space. ⁓ Yeah, so that's basically what happens day to day. So a bit more about the rescued food.

In-person participant 1: use a lot, we've got lots of clothes hanging everywhere and lots of models coming in for fittings and stuff. So that is a very well used space. Yes, so that's basically what happens day to day. food. So what happens is that we have our tears go out.

Amelia Cartwright: So what happens is that we have volunteers who go out in the morning and in the evening we hit to 21 pickups a week from five different supermarkets and we it's all the stuff that's at the end of its best before date and and maybe has an extra day on its use by date and then what we do is we We have it open to anybody. There's no referral process anybody can come we just found that just doing a two pounder bag you know, to fill a bag for two pounds is the most simple thing to do. Obviously people can give more than that if they would like to. Sometimes we have to limit some of the sort of like if we have a lot of frozen items that kind of are quite high value, sometimes we need to say, ⁓ there's two per person for today. But apart from that, we try and have it as low, no rules as possible really. And so, and we have a coordinator who kind of makes sure that there's volunteers and things available for that. But the volunteers are available for that space. They're there also to kind of

In-person participant 1: Thank you so much.

Amelia Cartwright: chat to people. ⁓ so because ⁓ there's the volunteers who work in the shop, there's volunteers who work behind the scenes and there's volunteers on the tail and volunteers stack it, they're putting things on shelves and things like that. that's, quite busy. They're busy people. don't have, they do have time to stop and have a quick chat, but it's not the same as being able to have a proper conversation with somebody that rescued food can. Because although the majority of people maybe are using rescued food because they want to They're really passionate about sustainability, is really key part of the message and what we're trying to achieve. There are quite a few people who use rescued food for whom it's essential that they can use it. And actually at the Hope Kitchen Cafe, we have a food bank. And so we've found that we've had a 58 % reduction in our food bank use because of the fact that we attribute that predominantly because of the rescued food, because it means that

In-person participant 1: So, you know, which is a really key part of the message and what we're trying to achieve. are quite a few people who use recipe food for whom it's essential that they can. And actually, at the Hope Kitchen Cafe, we have a food bank. And so we found that we've had 58 % reduction in our food bank use because of the fact that we attribute that predominantly because of the recipe food. It means that people who may be struggling and having to come to the food bank,

Amelia Cartwright: people who may be been struggling and having to come to the food bank, which is often quite a stigmatizing experience, ⁓ can come to Food, where it's a bit more of a celebration. you ⁓ know, ⁓ are of ⁓ every few weeks put on, ⁓ we've now, ⁓ we've stopped 35 of food to date going into the landfill. And people can feel like that they're doing something positive for the community ⁓ and for our But also ⁓ they're able to of get some really nice quality food. ⁓ I mean, one the One couple said to us, we didn't eat, really eat veg before we came here because it seemed like a nice thing to have, but it wasn't an essential because we couldn't afford it. And so therefore when they could come and just get fill up with, and they've just ended up with a far more varied diet than they had before they were using the rescued food.

In-person participant 1: seemed like a nice thing to have but it wasn't an essential because we couldn't afford it. And so therefore when they could come and just get filled up with, and they just ended up with a far more varied diet than they had before they were using the rescue feed. Yeah, that's a fantastic concept. mean, that's the thing, isn't it? There are the emergence of things like that with like the Too Good to Go app and stuff like that. But if people aren't technically advanced, if they're not familiar with phones or they're uncomfortable with technology, something like

Amelia Cartwright: to go out and stuff like that. if people aren't technically advanced, they're not familiar with phones or they're uncomfortable with technology, something like that is a great lifeline for them. And we have people in it, the same people in every day quite a lot. And they love it because they come in and I like, oh, hi love, how are you today? You yeah, I'm good. And we've had quite a lot of chats with people who said it's a good place to come in and just have a chat as well. And we can only allow four in at a time. So there's sometimes a little queue outside. So they...

In-person participant 1: that is a great lifeline for them. ⁓ Yeah, yeah, I'm good. We've had quite a lot of chats with people, so I it's a good place to come in and just have a chat as well. We've only allowed four in at a time, so there's sometimes a little queue outside, they wait to come in and they have little chat with each other. Yeah, no, it's really brilliant. Oh, lovely. They're waiting in there, yeah, so I'm supposed to wait outside outside, so they're waiting in Sorry, They're for you, definitely, in shop.

Amelia Cartwright: They wait to come in and they'll have little chat with each other. Yeah, no, it's really brilliant. Really good. They're waiting in the... Yeah, so they're obviously waiting outside outside. They're waiting in the No, sorry, outside the rescue food area in the shop.

In-person participant 1: And that leads on quite nicely to our next question. So you have got things like repair workshops, food provision and retail all in one place. How do those elements kind of come together and how well do they complement each other? Just talk us through about that. Well, I think we've sort of answered that because they complement each

Amelia Cartwright: food provision and retail all in one place. How do those elements kind of come together? Well, I think we've sort of answered that because they complement each other because people are coming in to buy clothing, for example, but then they're going to the rescued food or vice versa. And they might come into the shop to buy some clothing, but then they'll do a workshop as well. So you've got three options, the three in one. And people do buy stuff. Occasionally we get stuff in the shop that is a good quality item, but it might need mending. So we send that over to the workshop as well. So that really works well. mean, on a Monday, for example, there's a, it's not a workshop, but there's a bit of a kind of... group of people who just come together to crochet and knit. And so they're there at the same time as the rescue food is open. So there's just a bit of hub of people chatting and things like that. so, and I think as well for some of the volunteers, oftentimes people are volunteering because they may be isolated or they may be had a life transition. And so actually coming and just feeling part of something and being able to really get to know people in the community is really lovely. And so having given people space enough to do that. And I think that's where you give people opportunities to feel like they can linger a little bit. we often get one of our workers who comes in and helps with rescued food, he also works for Alli Energy. So he'll come in and give energy advice and things like that. And that's the good thing about the shop is it feels like somewhere where you can come and spend a little bit of time chatting to somebody about something. It's not like, ⁓ I've got to get in and out, know, because it's a retail experience. It's not that. ⁓ And so one of the initiatives we've started is this thing called ⁓ Fab Fridays or Super Saturdays. So the idea is that different charities and different organizations can come and have the takings for the day from the shop. so therefore, but they come and they represent their charity so that they can come and tell people about what they do and how to access what they're doing. Because a lot of charities don't have a shop front. So actually having somewhere where they can come and... and let people know about what they're doing. And one of the other things we have is we have a very big window, don't we? A very big window. A very big, a very, very useful window. So again, we obviously advertise things that are going on in the shop, but we also get involved in some of the cultural events that are going on, like the Clipper Race. We'll put a kind of window all about the yachts and things like that. We did win, actually, Best Window two years ago, we? Yeah, When the Clipper Race came, That window was fab. And we got... And we, so, but it means that local charities can have a window space as well to let people know what they're doing in the community. So. Yeah, that is amazing. It's so, it's so lovely. It's like a true, like a true definition of like a community hub, unfortunately we can't have, well, we could, but, but watch this space. But it's definitely harder to have in larger cities.

In-person participant 1: Yeah, that is amazing. It's so lovely. It's like a true definition of like a community hub, which unfortunately we can't have, well, we could, but ⁓ watch this space. ⁓ it's definitely harder to have in larger cities.

Amelia Cartwright: really lacking in third spaces.

In-person participant 1: we're really lacking in third spaces which means from who we've spoken to and experiences that we've had it's definitely charity shops that become that, it becomes a lifeline for people really to have these day-to-day conversations so it's amazing that you guys have identified this need in your community and just kept going and going with it, it sounds pretty unstoppable really with what you guys do.

Amelia Cartwright: Which means from who we've spoken to and experiences that we've had, it's definitely charity shops that become that. It becomes a lifeline for people really to have these day-to-day conversations. So it's amazing that you guys have identified this need in your community and just kept going and going with it. sounds pretty unstoppable really. I think one of the successes just, well, I think of it, one of successes that we have is that because it's, I call it an in-out shop, as I said before, stuff comes in, it goes out. I think because I'm always refreshing the shelves, always refreshing the clothes, we get lots and lots of bric-a-brac in, we get pictures. People can come in every day and there's always something new in the shop. And I know I've been in charity shops, a local charity shop in the town that I used to live in, and you'd walk in and it'd be the same stuff on the shelves and it would all be a bit stale. And I think as we just keep it quite vibrant. and keep everything just sort of moving around. And I think that really helps, you know, people feeling like they can come in every day if they want to. And our prices are extremely good, which is very, very enticing.

In-person participant 1: I'm sure, I'm sure. yeah, yeah, having that, ⁓ having that kind of mantra of people you can come in every day and it is this community space is something that is fairly lacking on the high street anyway. Like that's not, we're so driven, especially my generation, so driven by urgency and like the need to get things like that. And that's not what charity shops are traditionally there to support. So that's, that's lovely about that.

Amelia Cartwright: is something that is fairly lacking on the high street anyway. that's not, we're so driven, especially my generation, so driven by urgency and like the need to get things like that. And that's not what charity shops are traditionally there to support. that's lovely. So you don't just operate within a shop, you also do ⁓ outreach, like fashion shows and community events. important ⁓ is that in building your audience? ⁓ would you like to talk more what you've done and how you've achieved it? ⁓

In-person participant 1: So you don't just operate within a shop, you also do, you're also doing outreach, like fashion shows and community events. ⁓ How important ⁓ is that in building your audience? And you like to talk more on ⁓ what you've done and how you've achieved

Amelia Cartwright: Yeah, so Aideen is the development officer and she's a bit of the driver for these. So I think again, it's one of those things where you have to have Louise and Sarah involved in the kind of day to day running of the shop. I think, and then get involved in doing, making it happen, don't you? And Aideen's got more the vision of doing these big events and things like that. So I think- haven't got time to do that. And I think, so I think what's ended up happening is that actually having things like the fashion show where we had different runways with showcasing all the different types of clothes you'd get in shop. We had showstoppers where some of the clothes, like the wedding dresses were turned into fabulous by a local artist. Fabulous. creative works of art and one of our local artists turned a beautiful suit into, it was all open and sorrowful all over the suit, one of the areas of open and he drew it all on the seat, amazing. And it was just an amazing night and everybody was just like, people were like, we missed it if we didn't go because it was a really big social event. And I think that's the thing, it's making the whole idea of sustainability fun. And also quality, you it's not about things that just like, you're only going there because you can't afford to go to other shops. But also one of the things we did was we did a thing called the Re-Love Hub. We did that in October, where again, what was really good about that, it was it's really good to develop these partnerships around a project. So rather than just going, ⁓ that's interesting, you're doing that and we're doing this, actually let's do a project together. So we had the Grab Trust, which we had a... One of the local churches has a uniform, kind of a free uniform space. had people from Adventure Obern. We had Home Start come to do some work with families. We had local artists. had lots of different, we had the toy cupboard. We had loads of different people. We took over the Rockfield Center. did a whole, of like we did fun workshops, upcycling workshops. We did things around, and we had different rooms of different ages of. children and then, and it was about the idea of making it so if you're getting things secondhand it doesn't need to be rubbish, it could be really good quality and trying to, especially trying to find maybe pockets of the community that feel like they have to buy new to be able to, you know, to feel like they're a good enough parent or something, because there's lots of lies that are sold to parents, I think, where they feel like, and people can end up spending a lot of money they don't have. and getting themselves into debt and things like that and buying a lot of plastic tat that their children are going to grow out of in three months and not be interested in. so buying quality stuff secondhand that we can all kind of enjoy sort of and making it a celebration again, not something that's, and that's the idea isn't it all the time Louise that where everything we do is of a good quality and we don't, you're very, you curate the clothes and you create. things that you use very carefully. Yeah,

In-person participant 1: We can hear the pride and the passion that you have ⁓ for this shop. And I think, Atrina, you made a good you know, ⁓ just because you're talking about ⁓ sustainability and inclusion, have to be preachy. ⁓ You can educate people whilst also entertaining them ⁓ well. And then they're more to come back and learn more and buy and do more with you. yeah, that's a really good point. you've secured local funding. You talked about kind of how you got together and you're now able to kind of apply for ⁓ more funding you're stronger together. ⁓ What do think funders are responding to in this model? ⁓

Amelia Cartwright: Well, one of the funders we got was ⁓ Scottish Power, which is really good because we got that for the first year and then we won the Innovation Award with Scottish Power. And I think that they like the fact that we haven't got a formal legal structure where we've got together. It's been based on trust and on relationships. So I think that shows a level of... ⁓ for awareness of what our needs are as a community and how we can work together in a really effective way. I think people really appreciate that. I think the other thing is that we professional in way we do things. We... ⁓ want to make it so that things are the way we work together, that everything's in place. We've got the right policies and procedures, that we treat our volunteers well, that we work hard. I think that's one of the things, I think because we're all so passionate about what we do, we just work extremely hard at doing it well. And I think that that's something that funders can... can really see and I think then when you've got a benchmark of people being able to see that, say for example, you know, we also won the one to watch in the Scottish social enterprise for Scottish social enterprise and again that's people can people start to say well actually we you know success sort of big at success so people can people can really see that and you know our our shop trading income we opened in March 24

In-person participant 1: amazing ⁓

Amelia Cartwright: By March 26th we've made £368,000.

In-person participant 1: So we've spoken about all the amazing positives that you guys have on the community and on your charities. Just switching that up then, has there been any parts that have been particularly hard in making your model work? And would there be anything that you would do differently if you were to start again from scratch?

Amelia Cartwright: No. We were talking about this on the train coming down. I can't think of anything that I'd change from my part of setting the shop up. there's nothing I change. It's all working really well. all the systems are working well, everything that's set up. Yeah, I mean, think, know, we, yeah, when we were talking about this, when we were preparing, I think had I, had I known that the shop was going to be as successful as it is, has become, I think when we first took over the shop, we weren't sure how it was going to fly. So we didn't, we, we set things up with like, we, I mean, you should have, so there was Louise and some volunteers running up and down. the high street from old WH Smith getting all the old things from, know, all of their old ⁓ bits and bobs, all their racking and things, put that in the shop and then... And made stuff out of it. just, we made things out of pianos. We were given loads of stuff, weren't we? And I think we did it all very, very cheap. We painted and decorated it. We just got it open so that we could start sort of and get a start making an income because obviously we were kind of spending out and we weren't making an income at the beginning. It meant that we opened really quickly, but then we've just shut for a couple of weeks just recently. And it was actually really good because we did a bit of a refurb and a revamp of the shop. We've now got it. One of the things that I was going to talk about bit about is was about inclusion. So we've made the shop a lot more accessible. We've got a wheelchair riser so that people get into the back of the shop. So if you have done it, we have volunteers or we have people who want to use rescued food. they can have wheelchair access. But I think it was quite hard to get it set up and get open so quickly. And I might have spent a little bit more money on getting it set up and then not have to of have to make do and mend for like good nearly two years. Because I think it was really hard. I mean, I think it was really hard for Louise to constantly have to use a lot of cable ties. I use a lot of cable ties. We still do actually. Yeah. And also, mean, one of the things that was hard was having so many different voices in the room and having so many different opinions about how things want to be and then having to make right, having to say, who's going to make this final call on how this is going to happen? And then trying to make sure that we kind of respected each other's opinions and tried to make sure that we kind of included people in the decision making. I think that was that that was quite hard. And sometimes we got things wrong. But I think the thing is that because we all just kept on going at it and kept on working through it. then, so we've ended up being able to work through quite a few differences of kind of vision and things like that,

In-person participant 1: And then just to flip that around a bit, you were speaking to an organisation that would ⁓ want to follow a similar model or do a similar thing to you, would there be any advice that you would give them for starting out in this sort of project

Amelia Cartwright: flip that around a bit if you were speaking to... ⁓ Do you advice for starting out in this sort project I think, ⁓ We had a track record of working with volunteers for a number of years. We're quite kind of used to working with volunteers, quite used to doing quite bespoke kind of volunteering opportunities. there wasn't that sense of like, if you don't fit into that, then you can't do that. Also, sometimes if there are some people who maybe can't cope with the pace of the shop, then they may become a volunteer in the cafe. And so there is that sense of we don't want people to feel that a volunteer opportunity hasn't worked out. It's just more finding the right place for people. We've had people who've maybe gone for the cafe. and they've ended up going and volunteering more in the shop because they just absolutely love it. And so there is that sense of there's a right place for everybody. And we really invest in our volunteers. do things like, take them out to do things like abseiling and going out for meals. And we do- a social every few months. Yeah, we do lots of different that. We have a steering group that's made up of volunteers as well as staff. And so we can kind of come together and have a good way of- talking through some of the ideas in a more structured way. So I think those are sort of things that I would always say to people if they're gonna think about doing, they need to have a good awareness of working with volunteers in a really empowering way. So it's lovely to come here today to do this podcast because actually we sometimes take for granted some of the things that we've learned ⁓ along the way. And we sometimes think, ⁓ gosh, you we just got up and did it, you know, and it's like, well, what are the ingredients to why it worked? ⁓ And yeah, and it sounds really boring, but it is hard. It's hard work. I've lost about two stone on things that I started.

In-person participant 1: We just got up and did it. You know, you say, what are the ingredients to why it works? it sounds really boring, but it is hard work. I think there'll be a lot of listeners who can relate to charity retail being hard work. Absolutely. But I love the idea of a steering group that is with paid staff and with volunteers because they're the ones on the ground doing it. So they should have a voice in the room. and I'm sure you're going to have an influx of visitors and people volunteering with you now after listening to this episode hopefully. Yes, volunteer shifts available on a Saturday morning and a Friday afternoon, get in touch. So what's next for Restore then? You know, you've been really innovative, you've had a really great two years kind of grown from concept to execution to now, you know, really being a profitable enterprise. What's next for the future?

Amelia Cartwright: they'll be very welcome. Especially on a Saturday morning. Or a Friday afternoon. So what's next for Restore then? You've been really innovative, you've had a really great two years, kind of growing from concept to execution to now really being a profitable enterprise. What's next for the future? think Louise said she'd quite like to get her life back a little bit, didn't you? I mean, for me, because I've invested so much energy into the shop, which I have loved. I mean, it has been a labor of love, but it's been such a fantastic project that it's been my privilege, actually, to get it set up and get it running. But I personally would just like to have a few months just to work in the shop and just chill a little bit, because there's always been something. ⁓ should we do this? Should we do that? We need to do this. We need to do that. It would be nice just to have a little bit, as I said, we're doing a fashion show this Thursday, which is a lot of work. Get that over and done with. Get all the clothes back in the shop and sorted out. And then we'll think about what to do for the future because there's definitely things we can do. ⁓ But I think we just need a little bit of breathing space. It's been a manic two years and there's nothing wrong with just. stepping back for a minute and just looking at what you're doing and we've got busy season coming up because know tourist season started so the shop's going to be very busy with people which is a delight because everybody that comes in just loves it. And people just love coming in. They love the prices. They love the feeling of the shop. It's very friendly. And they can get value for money, which is the most important thing. I think one of the things that we've been thinking about are some of the, so we've got our kind of founding ⁓ partners, which are the kind of people that ⁓ I mentioned but then ⁓ we've had some really good develop over the years through the shop being developed. And so ⁓ we'd really like to able to work on some of kind of relationships really, and just being able to offer ⁓ maybe some more of the outreach activities that we'll be able ⁓ support the local community, but also, ⁓ being able to offer the space, as I said earlier, to more charities to be able to kind of showcase what they do. So, I mean, we've got the structures in place now, so all these things can kind of come on top. And again, as I said, it'd be really good to be able to share our learning with other people and to be able to kind of go out and maybe talk to other communities about what they could do. We've had a few months ago, we had people from Helensborough who were looking to do something similar to us again. So it is about kind of wanting to share that and so. I had somebody in last week that I showed around and they were so, I can't remember where they're from, I wish I could remember where they're from, but they were so enthusiastic and there were so many things they hadn't thought of and they were like picking my brains and like, just I'd love to share this with you because it's, don't, you know, if you do something and it's successful, you do want, it's no point just keeping it to yourself, is there? You do want to share it, sharing the love. And I think that's really important. You know, if we can make a success. And I said, if I can do it. Anybody can do this, if we can do it, if you can, with the collective. mean, my goodness, mean, sky's the limit, really.

In-person participant 1: Amazing. ⁓ Well, that's a fantastic place to finish on, I think. So what's really stood out today ⁓ with Restore has been what is possible when you think beyond the traditional retail model. ⁓ It's about creating spaces that people want to spend time in, those third spaces that we don't just want, but we actually need as a community and as a society. So looking beyond selling products and more about creating a whole experience to be a part of really. there's definitely a real opportunity here for the charity sector. ⁓ from circular economy thinking to community led spaces, ⁓ a shift in how people want to engage. ⁓ the challenge is more about how we take these ideas ⁓ make them commercially viable as well as impactful. this is where the charity retail consultancy supports organisations charities explore new models, ⁓ income ⁓ designing experiences that ⁓ connect modern audiences. retail strategy and shop development to community-led concepts, We charities turn ideas into practical, scalable solutions that drive income and impact. So before we wrap up, we have one final question for you both, and it's a big one. We like to ask everyone who comes on the podcast to give a charity shop shout out. So this is just a way to celebrate our sector and celebrate the communities that we support. So is there a charity ⁓ shop or space or initiative that you'd like to give some love to on the podcast

Amelia Cartwright: Well for somebody who doesn't like to shop I was left in Craignewer in Mull having to wait for a ferry and I was like oh there's a shop and I might as well just go and have a look at it and I've a beautiful tree jacket that I'm wearing today from for £11 from the castaway Mull on Ionia Community Trust shop and they actually were really helpful in giving us some really helpful systems when we went over there Yes, we did have a day with them and they just showed us around the shop and just talked through what they did and how it's set up and took a few things away from that. But they were very, very helpful and ⁓ yeah, big shout out to them really because they're just over the water from us, they? And they have been instrumental in helping us to set up.

In-person participant 1: Fantastic. Thank you so much. you so much for joining us. It's been a very inspiring conversation. ⁓ to our listeners, if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to follow, leave a review ⁓ share it with someone who cares about the future of charity retail. ⁓ can follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn at Charity Shop Chat and at the Charity Retail Consultancy. ⁓ Louise and Katrina, where can they follow Restore then? Give a shout out to your social channels. ⁓

Amelia Cartwright: So we have Restore Open, which is on the Facebook. We have the Hope Kitchen website. So we've got pages on there about Restore. And also we have the Open Collective. has their own website as well. So you can go and have a look at that. We're not quite into the Instagram yet. So we'll get there. We'll get there. Yeah. That's what's next. Yeah. I have actually been saying Instagram. We do need to do Instagram. have been saying it for two years actually, but just haven't quite got there yet.

In-person participant 1: Watch this space. Amazing, well that's all from us today but as always charity shops are full of stories that deserve to be told and we love sharing them with you. So thank you very much for listening. Bye!