02/22/2024
Goodbye!
It has been a true labour of love.
Started as an idea of how to support our Seniors while offering quality goods to Brampton consumers, it has survived beyond the imaginations and hopes of our originators.
Throughout our 50 years we have been treading water financially and have come close to closing a couple of times, but this time it was inevitable. For any business to last 50 years is amazing - for a Registered Charity to survive, it is a miracle!
However, it is a changing world and there is just not the sales potential to keep us afloat anymore. Sadly, handmade heirloom quality has given way to a penchant for cheap mass production and designer labels. Without a thriving and accessible downtown there is no longer a draw for people to come shopping.
What saddens us the most is the ripple effect - those older Volunteers who are now at a loss for a place to go away from home and a value to their time; those Senior Vendors who no longer have an outlet for their work and may give up crafting (which is not good for seniors who need to keep those grey cells working). Those Seniors and downtown residents who drop in for a friendly chat when loneliness looms, or just to keep warm for a few minutes during inclement weather. They were always welcome. The agencies we have helped along the way: hats and mitts for the CAS; warm knitted goods for villages in Nunavut; socks and slippers for Mexico through the Rotary Club. Don't forget our Remembrance windows in November and our support of the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Fund. Our reach went far beyond our store.
As the saying goes, "You don't know what you've got ‘til it's gone.".
Thank you to all those who have supported us over the years.
Many have been multi-generational families who remember shopping there with Grandma (or perhaps she was a volunteer/vendor herself). Many are newcomers who have found the warm items they need for Canada’s winter. How many babies (many now adults) have started their lives wrapped in one of our amazing blankets – and have passed them along to their own children?
We will miss our little shop on Main Street as I'm sure many people will miss us being here. We will not be forgotten as our historical artifacts have been donated to PAMA as a part of Brampton's rich history. Please remember us with love.
