Aldergrove’s Fibromyalgia Well Spring Foundation Thrift Store celebrated its new home on Saturday, April 6.
When founder Cheryl Young received the eviction notice for the previous location, she said it nearly brought her to tears.
“I thought maybe it was time for me to retire. I’ve been doing this for 16 years and I have the illness as well, and it was just really hard,” she shared.
The thought of losing her customers was heartbreaking.
“We’re really close with customers. I love the community, and that’s what it’s about,” Young told the Langley Advance Times.
Her and Nigel Thom have dedicated years of volunteered time to the local thrift store to keep it running and affordable.
“We have no increased our prices in years, since we came out from Langley when we first opened,” Thom said.
“We know that the community is growing, we know that we are growing, and the community needs the help because a number of people here are low income.”
Reflecting back now, on what she thought may be the end of the store and an important chapter in her life, Young’s elated with how things turned out and she’s embraced the change.
At 2,700 square feet, with an open plan, the new space is bigger and better laid-out for the evolving store.
“We are very pleased that we’ve got a new store, we’re very pleased with the layout… we’re very thankful to the volunteers who helped us put the new store together. And grateful to the people from Aldergrove who turned out when we needed help,” Thom said.
Young documented just over 454 hours that the many volunteers put in during moving weekend.
She added that she is also appreciative for the community’s help in the store’s move.
“It’s a wonderful community, that’s why we wanted to stay – we’re here for them and they’re here for us. We are very thankful to Aldergrove,” she said.
The new store is located at 27540 Fraser Hwy., and is open Mondays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays until 3 p.m.
Young also said more volunteers are always welcome, and those interested can reach out via email to: info@fibromyalgiawellspringfoundation.org.
To learn more, people can also visit: fibromyalgiawellspringfoundation.org.
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