Thanks to ongoing community support, Plum Coulee’s Your Thrift Shoppe was able to give a record amount of funds to charity in 2023.
Board president Ken Reimer says, after expenses, the not-for-profit is thrilled to donate $62,000 to mission-based and humanitarian organizations such as Siloam Mission, Union Gospel Mission, and World Serve Missions, as well as provide financial support for local Bible camps, Genesis House, Boundary Trails Foundation, and Teen Challenge, just to name a few.
“That figure is pretty impressive, when you consider that most of the things in the store are dollar items,” Reimer says.
The Shoppe has come a long way since they officially opened in 1991, when their year-end balance was a grand total $3,184. In comparison, their total revenue for 2023 was $80,136
“It has slowly been increasing every year. This little store is very popular, Reimer says. “We get good traffic, especially on Tuesdays when the new stuff hits the shelves and racks.”
And, as the guest book at the front counter attests, their clientele includes locals, as well as visitors from around the world.
“People are always looking for something, and it’s great to see when they find it. We have customers who make the rounds from town to town, and they always come here.”
Reimer recalls how Eva Dick and her Grimsby Mission Group—a local ladies sewing circle—originally started the store on Main Ave. to support those in need.
“They approached Mr. Peters, who owned this old hardware store building in 1980. The structure was good even though it was dilapidated on the outside. The ladies started with using the one side of the building on certain days from spring until fall, because the building was not heated. They sold mostly clothes back then, with garden produce in the fall.”
As the store became more popular and donations increased, the building housing them was taken down, with much of the materials used for rebuilding a larger space.
The new $55,000 store opened in early 1991 and was debt-free by that April.
“They got the community involved, and today it is fully community supported and operated,” says Reimer. “Now we sell everything from clothing, housewares, books and toys to small appliances and home décor. We have many people in the area who need a store like this. It’s become a necessary place in the community, and our primary focus is to help others.”
Your Thrift Shoppe is run by a volunteer board, elected by the community, which includes Reimer and his wife Helen, Lena Unrau, Grace Giesbrecht, Rodney Harder, Verna Kroeker, and Moira Porte.
One of the committee’s goals this year is to install new and improved shelving for toys and linens, and they’re hoping the grants they applied for through the Municipality of Rhineland and the Plum Coulee Community Foundation will help cover this.
Reimer has been involved with the store from the beginning and says while their bottom line is growing, their volunteer base could always use some help.
“We have about 30 volunteers who have a heart for this place and a heart for helping. But we’re all getting older, and we would like to see some younger members step up and lend a hand. We could always use more community involvement.
“We have somebody to fix bicycles, but it would be great to have someone who knows how to repair electronics,” he says. “Those are the kind of skills we’ll need more of.
“We’re looking for younger people with a heart for giving. We’re not asking for their money. Just their time and their caring. Whether you’re a Baby Boomer, a Gen X-er, or a Millennial—wherever you place yourself—it’s really about how you serve others. That’s what counts. Helping is ageless. And meaningful work doesn’t have to have a paycheque. The need doesn’t go away, and there are always ways that you can serve.”
