SURREY 鈥� A new boutique thrift store in Surrey aims to sell clothing and other merchandise to help build a so-called City Dream Centre here.
Those who operate the shop, called , also want to spread awareness about plans for their dream facility, which they鈥檇 like to open in a large, long-vacant building on 104th Avenue.
The thrift store officially opened on March 29 in a new retail complex at #106-19211 Fraser Hwy., on the Surrey-黑马磁力 border.
The new City Dream Centre foundation, online at CityDreamCentre.com, opened the store as part of its effort to support underprivileged and vulnerable people in Metro Vancouver.
Net revenue from the new and 鈥渓ightly used鈥� merchandise sold at the store will support the foundation鈥檚 mission and cause.
鈥淭his (store) is a touchpoint for the City Dream Centre, because we don鈥檛 have a building yet, but this store will bring awareness to people about it, about what we鈥檙e doing,鈥� said Loretta Hibbs, the foundation鈥檚 executive director.
鈥淓verybody who comes here gets a card that thanks them for their support and tells them a bit about what we鈥檙e hoping to accomplish.鈥�
- RELATED STORY: , from Sept. 2016
The foundation dreams of opening a facility at 104 Avenue Centre, a 260,000-square-foot brick building built in 1998 and relegated as vacant pretty much ever since.
The proposed facility is modelled on Los Angeles鈥� Dream Center, founded in 1994 as a volunteer-driven organization that 鈥渇inds and fills the needs of over 80,000 individuals and families each month,鈥� according to its website.
The facility鈥檚 mission is to 鈥渞econnect isolated people to God and a community of support by providing human services that address immediate and long-term needs in the areas of homelessness, hunger, poverty, addiction, education and human trafficking.鈥�
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PICTURED: 104 Avenue Centre has sat vacant, save for a few special events and film work, since it was built in 1998 on 104th Avenue in Surrey, at 142nd Street. FILE PHOTO: Tom Zillich
The project in Surrey was initially an initiative of Surrey鈥檚 Relate Church, but is now operating as a foundation independent of the church, said Kelly Voros, one of the project planners.
鈥淚t was always the plan for City Dream Centre to become its own entity, so it鈥檚 just one of the milestones that we鈥檝e achieved so far this year,鈥� Voros told the Now-Leader.
Hibbs emphasizes that 104 Avenue Centre has not yet been secured for use as Surrey鈥檚 City Dream Centre.
On opening day at the thrift store, she clutched a brochure that shows the foundation鈥檚 detailed plans for the vacant building.
"We鈥檙e not handing out these brochures, because we don鈥檛 have use of the building, but it鈥檚 information for people who want to know what our goal is, with the floor-by-floor plans, all of that,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very serious about this, but it鈥檚 millions of dollars, and we don鈥檛 have that, so we鈥檙e doing everything we can to work toward our goal. And if it鈥檚 not that building, then it鈥檚 another building. We need somewhere where we can run programs.鈥�
Hibbs said the foundation鈥檚 goal is to open three to five stores locally under the For the Love of Thrifting signage, including one at the City Dream Centre itself, as a training facility there.
鈥淔irst impression is everything,鈥� Hibbs stated. 鈥淐reating an atmosphere of excellence, dignity and value was important to me, and quality items with affordable prices is something everybody is looking for. Just as City Dream Centre鈥檚 mission is about bringing dignity, value and purpose to others, our goal is that this store will do the same.鈥�
Online, the store can be found at .
tom.zillich@thenownewspaper.com
