From solid furniture to preloved clothing and retro items, stepping into any Arohanui Hospice store is like entering another world. Browsing the shelves, clothing racks and floor section, you’re bound to find some useful items for your home or wardrobe, along with a few curiosities that make the experience so enjoyable.

‘‘We love getting quirky or unusual things,’’ says Jennie Lewer, retail manager for the five Hospice shops in the Manawatu/ Levin district.

‘‘We’ve had motorised scooters, a battery-operated crowing hen in once … we’ve even had an old radiation scanner which we passed onto the hospital museum.’’

Having been involved with Arohanui Hospice for ‘‘close to 10 years’’, Jennie has seen a lot of things come through the shop. While the team is always looking for more donations, she’s quick to note that they’re looking for good-quality goods which have to be saleable.

‘‘We’re really into retro/ vintage clothing and often heritage furniture and fine china sells well for us.’’ They can upcycle items and even have a team at the Lombard Street store who recycle old fabric, woollen blankets and old jackets into useful items like handbags or pet boxes. This concept of reusing and recycling goods is especially important to youth and Jenny says they often see the younger generation in the shop.

‘‘Everybody likes that items are being re-loved. People bring in items with treasured memories and it’s nice that we can sell them and they can be used and loved again,’’ says Jennie.

‘‘Don’t dump it if someone can use it and it’s in good condition!’’

Good quality donations are welcomed at all five Hospice stores or pop in to find something for yourself!

Visit one of the five Arohanui Hospice Shops:

• Palmerston North on the corner of Walding and Lombard streets.
• Palmerston North at the Rossmont Shopping Centre on Vogel Street.
• Feilding at 22-24 Fergusson Street.
• Levin at 3 South Road.
• Otaki at 11-13 Main Street.

This article, written by Jordan Gowan, first appeared in the Manawatū Standard on 18 May 2021.