It’s a Tuesday afternoon in mid-March and the Penny Pincher thrift shop run by Langley Memorial Hospital Auxiliary volunteers is bustling.
Bargain hunters sifted through items lined neatly on shelves, mixing with volunteers wearing familiar blue vests who busily buzzed around the store.
Penny Pincher, with a pair stores side-by-side on the east side of downtown Langley’s one-way section of Fraser Highway, is the place to be for shoppers looking for deals — and to support the cause of raising money for Langley Memorial Hospital equipment and programs.
The thrift shop — which is celebrating its 40th year — is located at 20560 Fraser Hwy and is open Monday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Penny Pincher’s history of success dates back to its infancy. In fact, in 1977, its first year of operation, at its original location of Sundel Square (and later after it moved to Acadia Street), the thrift shop earned a far better profit than expected — $12,999.05, all earmarked for the hospital.
Penny Pincher is not only a place for shopping, it’s also connects the community with auxiliary volunteers, many of whom have been connected with the group for many years.
President Diane Thornton has been with the auxiliary for 11 years; committee member Linda Steier for 17; past president Christine O’Sullivan for 16; and first vice-president Thelma Boileau for 17.
“I’m the newbie among this group,” Thornton said.
The commonality among them is a passion for raising funds for the hospital, and an affection for Penny Pincher.
Boileau said Penny Pincher allows community members to give back to LMH.
“Whether they donate to the store or they are spending $1.50, they’re still involved,” Boileau said. “The donations just keep going, even though there are 14 other thrift stores (in the community).”
“And our tagline is, if you donate in Langley, it stays in Langley,” Thornton added.
“All of our money stays here, and I think that’s an important distinction, and I think people recognize that,” Boileau said.
Penny Pincher has moved locations a few times, from being across from Sundel Square, to Greyhound Bus Depot on Logan Avenue, to 56th Avenue, to its current home at the former Coast Capital building on Fraser Highway.
“These two buildings come with 53 parking spots,” Thornton said. “That was a big bonus because parking in Langley City is non-existent.”
Steier said the volunteers are like “a family that gets along on Monday and doesn’t on Tuesday. But you make lifelong friends and you appreciate aging, because you watch it every day at Penny Pincher.”
Thornton said some volunteers come once or twice a week, “for the companionship.”
“They enjoy having coffee and meeting with people and that’s important to them,” Thornton said.
Oddball donations aplenty
Penny Pincher’s popularity has led to some unique donations — either by design or not.
One example: someone dropped off ashes of a loved one at the former location on Logan Avenue.
On a more mainstream vein, unique artwork and memorabilia have funnelled through the store.
“Everything comes through this store in a year,” Boileau said. “We get some crap, because our dumpster is picked up three times a week with things we can’t use, but we get treasures.”
Pictures, records, china, pottery, “you name it,” Thornton said, are regularly dropped off at the store.
“We have seen the cycle change over the last 10 years, too,” Steier said. “All the antique stores that used to be around are no more, because the newer, younger under 60, under 50 (shoppers)… they’re not collecting those things. So if a silver spoon was worth five dollars five years ago, they may only be worth a dollar today because nobody wants to collect them. We’ve been around long enough to see the changes.”
For more about Penny Pincher, and a list of items that aren’t accepted, and volunteer requirements, visit langleymemorialhospitalauxiliary.ca/thriftshop.html.
- Files from The Hospital on the Hill, A History of Langley Memorial Hospital 1948-1998