Secondhand Savvy

Avid thrift shoppers will be thrilled to learn that Talize plans to open their second BC location in Langley later this summer.

This is terrific news on many levels. It means additional industry related jobs, a boost for the local economy, more opportunities to keep recyclable items out of the landfills, increased support for the Children’s Wish Foundation, and of course another wonderful shopping destination for savvy secondhand shoppers.

Founded in 2005, Talize is a Canadian owned and operated thrift store chain with seven stores currently in operation (six stores in Ontario and one in Delta, BC). As well as the new store currently under construction in Langley, there are two more being planned for Ontario in Kingston and Barrie.

The store in Delta, which opened its doors in 2006, recently celebrated its 10 year anniversary. Laurel Stan, who has been the Assistant Store Manager in Delta, is proud to be part of a supportive work culture that takes care of its staff and customers. According to Stan, “the Delta store has around 50 team members, with many having been here since we first opened as we like to promote from within.”

Even Stan herself has what she calls a “secondhand love story”, both she and her husband Eric Nykamp met while working at a rival thrift store before moving over to work for Talize in Hamilton, Ontario. Nykamp started at Talize in 2007 and Stan in 2008. And, in 2010 they leapt at the chance to relocate to BC to manage the Delta store. Nykamp is currently the Store Manager and Stan the Assistant Store Manager. Come this summer, Nykamp will become the District Manager and Stan the Store Manager for Langley.

And, true to promoting from within, Stan’s Assistant Store Manager in Langley will be Corrie-Lynn Parries who began working as a part-time cashier at the Delta location shortly after it first opened. Her mother, who also works with Talize, had encouraged her to take a part-time job while still in school.

There are other perks to working with Talize, such as staff discounts. However, Stan cautions that “there is a misconception that staff get first pick of all the good stuff. The truth is that they don’t get to buy anything until it has been on the floor for 24 hours.”

With over 25,000 square feet, Talize is able to showcase a large culturally diverse selection of clothing and accessories for both men and women (beautifully organized by size and colour). They also have an impressive section for children’s clothing and toys, bookcases filled with every type of book that you can imagine, rows and rows of vintage, retro and modern housewares, as well as a small back section with electronics and some small appliances.

The store relies on donations to keep itself well stocked with quality merchandise while also encouraging people to keep items out of landfills. They accept donations of gently used clothing and household goods which can be dropped off in a bin at the front of the store or if it is a larger donation it is best to take it to the back loading area. As a thank you for these donations, they offer donors a $5 off coupon towards their next purchase at the store.

There are also several purple donation bins around the city (look for the ones with the Children’s Wish Foundation logo). They cannot accept furniture or any kind of TV screen or baby items due to safety restrictions.

According to Stan, this is a high turnover industry with regular customers coming in weekly and many local dealers daily. “In the back rooms, we process 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of stock every day. It is important for us to keep fresh items coming out.” As a result, they have a large production team (25 to 30 staff) who are responsible for processing, sorting and pricing all of the incredible donations received on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, due to damage or other restrictions/issues, some items cannot be sold. For these items, Evgeni Shteinberg, Talize’s Marketing Director, says that Talize is equally committed to being environmentally conscious. “We recycle as much as possible. Metal, electronics, books, housewares, cloth, shoes, purses and clothing accessories are all recycled. In fact, we recycle more than 1.5 million pounds of items per store that would otherwise be destined for the landfill each year. That works out to approximately 100M pounds of recycled goods that Talize has helped keep out of local landfills since its inception.”

Donations not only support Talize’s commitment to a “greener environment”, they also help Talize raise much needed funds for a Canadian charity. According to Shteinberg, “Talize is a proud platinum partner of the Children’s Wish Foundation and through this partnership, we have contributed over $1.5 Million to date.” The Children’s Wish Foundation helps children, families and communities by granting a wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Talize also likes to participate in local community events such as the Vancouver Halloween Parade.

There are many wonderful reasons to consider shopping at Talize, and I would like to add one more…their store wide sale which has everything in the store at half price. The next sale is coming up on Monday, March 27th at all of their store locations. Doors open at 7am until 9pm.

For more news on the Grand Opening of their store in Langley, I would suggest subscribing to their Enewsletter and liking their local page on Facebook.

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