The Niverville MCC Thrift Shop will be reopening its doors on Tuesday, May 12 after having been closed for two months due to COVID-19. This is good news for many locals, on a few different levels.

However, there are some new policies in place to protect the workers. Customers will need to abide by social distancing guidelines, and only 20 people will be allowed into the store at the same time.

The shop’s hours of operation have also been slightly reduced. They will be open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

“We will not be open on Wednesday night for the first week or two, but we plan to reopen Wednesday nights in the near future,” says Gerald Loeppky, store manager.

The store employs one full-time employee and five part-time employees. The rest of the duties are handled by up to 150 generous volunteers.

“Fitting rooms have been closed, and refunds or returns will not be accepted at this time,” Loeppky says. “Sales will be debit or credit card preferred, but we will also take cash if needed.” 

Making Donations 

For all the townspeople who have been busy spring-cleaning and now have donations piled up, the thrift shop will also be accepting items—with a few conditions.

“All of our donations must be quarantined for a period of four days,” Loeppky says. “The purpose of the quarantine is to allow the virus time to die or become nontransferable. As a result, we have rented space at 61 Main Street, where we will be accepting donations and allowing the time for quarantine. The drop-off at the store will remain closed.”

Since each bag or item dropped off will require a price amount of quarantine time, donations will be restricted to certain hours only. The drop-off at 61 Main Street will be open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. 

Other Supports 

On top of providing reused items at a low price, the Niverville MCC provides important support to other local organizations such as Niverville Helping Hands and the Youth for Christ Drop-In. Since the thrift shop has been closed for two months, unable to generate income, these other organizations have been directly affected.

Opening the doors of the MCC Thrift Shop, cautiously, will benefit many, Loeppky seeks to assure people. “The programs that MCC supports affect the most vulnerable in our society who rely heavily on the generosity of others to survive.”