Team urges community to support charity shop selling brand new items as it celebrates second birthday
The team behind a charity shop selling brand new items has urged the community to show their support after celebrating its second birthday at the heart of Northampton town centre.
The Lewis Foundation’s shop in the upper mall of the Grosvenor Centre sells new end-of-line stock at affordable prices, and the concept is only made possible through the generous donations and support of local businesses.
Every penny goes back into the charity to fund free gift packs for adults undergoing cancer treatment in hospitals across the region, which has been ongoing for the past nine years.
All items are in their original packaging and are either end-of-line, excess or unwanted stock that has been discontinued or is no longer needed by retailers, manufacturers or warehouses. This includes branded toiletries, make-up and cleaning products, just to name a few.
The shop began as a pop-up in 2021 and is now a permanent fixture in the Grosvenor Centre. It has also become a community space offering meaningful volunteering and work experience opportunities, especially for SEND young people and adults.
The shop offers bargains, boosts awareness of the charity, and raises vital funds to provide more than 2,000 gift packs every week to 17 hospitals across the region.
Store manager Katie Austin said: “We’re a charity shop with a difference in that everything we sell is brand new.
“I like to think we’re one of Northampton’s best kept secrets but after customers have visited once, they come back time and time again as they know they can get some real bargains.”
Charity co-founder and CEO Lorraine Lewis added that the shop has become a special part of what they do and has developed into something more impactful than they had ever envisaged.
“It really is a charitable and community initiative unlike any other, and we’re so proud of how far it’s come in just two years,” she said.
‘Be curious about the shop and don’t make assumptions before you pop in’
Talking to the Chronicle & Echo, Lorraine explained that the initial pop-up came about as businesses generously donated lots of surplus stock and there were only so many ways it could be utilised without having a store.
It started as a monthly pop-up before increasing to twice-monthly and then as a permanent retail space in July 2023. Customers are grateful for the opportunity to purchase new products at a fraction of the price while supporting a worthy cause.
Lorraine is pleased that the shop has raised awareness of the charity outside the hospital setting, as many community members did not know it existed unless they had directly benefited from its kind services.
Having a charity shop has also enabled a wider variety of businesses to offer their support, including Amazon fulfilment centres.
Lorraine continued: “You don’t really get charity shops in shopping centres, they’re usually on the high street. We’re standing strong alongside national brands and it gives us credibility.
“We want to be taken seriously as a normal store and change perceptions of charity shops, as we are not secondhand. We offer accessible and brand new products.”
Katie explained that many people are still discovering the shop after two years and once they step inside, the majority become returning customers.
The team would love to see an increase in support in the run up to Christmas and Lorraine said: “Come into the shop, you never know what you’re doing to find and you’ll be giving back to charity. We are different and unique.”
Katie agreed that visitors should be curious and have a look, even if they do not buy anything, as the variety changes everyday and they may find exactly what they are searching for.
The hope moving forward is to continue expanding the range of stock on offer and engage with more businesses who are willing to make donations. Katie would love to see more toys and children’s items featured in the near future.
“Even members of the public can make donations,” said Lorraine. “People often bring in impulse buys or unwanted Christmas presents, and we can take them as long as they are brand new, unopened and unused.”
You can pay The Lewis Foundation a visit in the upper mall of the Grosvenor Shopping Centre from 10am until 5pm from Monday to Friday, 9.30am until 5pm on Saturdays, and 10am until 4pm on Sundays.