A new boutique charity shop is now open in south Belfast.
Concern Worldwide has opened its newest store on the Lisburn Road, bringing “a unique shopping experience to the city”.
It offers a selection of pre-loved clothing, designer labels, accessories, and “one-of-a-kind treasures”.
Speaking to The Irish News, store manager and Lisburn Road native Jane Hodgers said: “The response from the community has been incredible.
“People are just so happy to see beautiful clothes at affordable prices and to have the opportunity to have that boutique shopping experience.”
This is the eighth addition to the charity’s retail network with other sites situated throughout Northern Ireland, including Derry, Newcastle, Ballycastle, Holywood and on Belfast’s Ormeau Road, Andersonstown Road and Antrim Road.
“The income from our shop work across the eight stores enables us to fund humanitarian and emergency programmes in 26 of the poorest and hardest to reach countries in the world so not only is the boutique a beautiful shopping experience but it also serves as a really important source of fundraising,” Jane adds.
In addition to supporting Concern Worldwide, Jane hopes the boutique will enable people to shop more sustainably when it comes to fashion.
“Fast fashion has to end - sustainable fashion is the way forward,” she says.
“We don’t want beautiful clothing to go to landfill and end up in our rivers - we have produced 10 years’ worth of fast fashion that will clothe the planet, and we’re still producing.”
Although Jane admits she is reassured by the fact “charity shops have been experiencing a bit of a boom” in recent years and that any stigma surrounding them “is long gone”.
“I really love the fact we’re starting to see the younger demographic getting involved and buying quality clothing at affordable prices so we’re seeing people of all ages engaging and supporting the charity.”
The shop has been stocked with quality donations from the public, as well as a selection of men’s clothing donated by Michael Moffatt, owner of clothes shop Man 1984 in Coleraine.
“I’m always so surprised by the items people are willing to part with,” Jane confesses.
“We’ve got some Alexander McQueen cashmere as well as the high street labels, so we’ve got a bit of everything.
“It’s such a joy that people have got behind it and understand that the concept is that we want some quality clothing that will help us raise some money.”
On how to donate items, Jane encourages customers to, “just come in over the doorstep. Or phone us once we get it set up,” she laughs.
“Alternatively, if people would like things collected, we can come out and do collections or you can drop off in-store six days a week.”
Concern Worldwide is also encouraging volunteers to join the team. From organising donations to serving customers, volunteers play a key role in keeping the charity’s shops running smoothly.
“There are so many other ways to support us as well, most of our eight shops are volunteer led and we rely on them a lot – it takes around 24 people each week to operate one shop.
“So, this is also a call to action within our community for anybody who’d like to offer a little bit of their time.”
So far, Jane and her team have been “bowled over” by the response to the boutique and hope their careful curation and detailed displays will entice others to pay a visit.
“Every time you come in, you’re going to see something different because we’re always changing it up,” she enthuses.
“Everything’s well looked after, in its best possible condition and I defy anybody not to find something that they love.”
The new store is located at Unit 2, Ferndale House, 561 Lisburn Road, Belfast.
