By Parker McKenzie
Despite not officially opening to the public until Tuesday 14 June, the RSPCA Op Shop in Ferntree Gully has already had visitors purchasing their wares, with the volunteer staff behind the counter happy to oblige local bargain hunters.
RSPCA Victoria relocated their Boronia Op Shop from 17 Dorset Square, Boronia to 32 Forest Road, Ferntree Gully and locals couldn’t wait to see what was hiding within.
RSPCA Victoria Op Shop Network Supervisor Liz Irvine said relocation is the start of an exciting new chapter for the store.
“The new Ferntree Gully store is larger, has ample parking and improved amenities,” she said.
“We hope that this change will allow us to offer an even better experience to the local community while assisting us to raise funds for our work caring for vulnerable animals.”
The RSPCA op shops sell a range of new and secondhand goods to the public and are run by volunteers to raise funds for supporting RSPCA Victoria’s mission to end animal cruelty.
Ms Irvine thanked Boronia locals for their support of the op shop, who volunteer their time generously to assist with its running.
“We are thrilled that many of our wonderful Boronia volunteers will be making the transition to Ferntree Gully and are really looking forward to welcoming customers into the new location,” she said.
“We really appreciate their ongoing commitment and thank them, especially for their support during this time of transition.”
Grant McCommell, who spent six years volunteering at the Boronia store, said they weren’t expecting to open on the rainy Thursday 9 June.
“They got everything ready quicker than they thought, so we’ve just had a lot of people drop by,” he said.
“We had people waiting before we were open waiting to come in and with weather like this, that’s a pretty good sign.
To find out more about the RSPCA Op Shops, visit www.rspcavic.org/rspca-op-shops/
