A Saturday at the Re-Use-It Centre

We live in this lovely little world down here at the store in Function Junction, Whistler's up and coming artsy industrial district. Often the weekends are quieter without the local tradesmen- it's a time for The Re-Use-It Centre to really draw a crowd.

After the week of snow we've had- 155 cm in the past 7 days- it's no wonder we've been quiet, but today, even with tiny flakes of snow falling, we have a crowd of eager shoppers. Early in the day we see locals who know well enough to leave the mountain for the weekend crowds, and instead try their luck at a few bargain finds with us.

We have a great little crew of staff on today and with a nice mix of oldies playing on the stereo (think The Doors, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin) a great atmosphere is set. It's the perfect soundtrack for browsing the books, which I've put some time into organizing this morning- I've sorted out two baskets full of paperbacks reduced to 50 cents, as well as found a few books I'll be investigating on my lunch break. We get a myriad of titles and subjects, favorites being best-seller paperbacks, travel guides and recipe books.

The boys are busy in the back with donations coming in steadily- not the crazy rush we are anticipating from the end of this month all the way to the end of May, with seasonals leaving town, but still enough good stock to keep the shelves full and to keep our customers excited with the quality of their finds.







I've found: a pile of games and puzzles to keep you busy on those rainy indoor days, a cute Mexican bird ornament and a purple beaded necklace. And that's just for starters.

Pallets of electronics are being put together for our recycling program. Mike builds them up to head height, and wraps up old TVs by the dozen to be shipped off to Vancouver and then processed into their re-useable parts. Later in the day he'll empty the bottle bins, set up to collect any cans and bottles for recycling.

We have our Saturday volunteers cruising the store organizing chaotic sections like the kids' area, restoring order (if but for ten minutes!), helping put priced items out for sale, cleaning up the housewares... Emma hangs clothes non-stop all day to keep the racks full, clothes being our biggest seller at the moment while people are looking for lighter summer things for their spring getaways to warmer places.

We take phone calls from people searching for boots, canes, boards and board bags... anyone who finds a board bag should count themselves very lucky, as this time of year they're incredibly rare!

As the afternoon wears on we see a few more weekend warriors pop by- the seasoned folk up from Vancouver and Washington state know that a lucky day browsing at The Re-Use-It Centre might yield them sought-after vinyl, a whole armful of kid's stuffies, or a new (to them) outerwear combo. The quality of donated items is unbelievable just now; we're grateful that such items come to us instead of heading for landfill.

Right now we're collecting for prizes for our fundraiser at Creekbread on Tuesday March 20, from 5pm to 9pm. There are some pretty crazy bits and pieces piling up and I'm super excited to see what kind of turnout we get. Creekbread is so great for always wanting help out in the community. And their pizza is delicious!

Yes, it's another lovely Saturday at The Re-Use-It Centre. We love that you come to visit, that you come in crowds of families or friends to crow about the finds you've got in your basket, or the silly outfits you've put together that you parade around in proudly. You never fail to give us a giggle wearing a furry coat or a fancy hat!

Thanks for stopping by.


Helen, Manager at The WCSS Re-Use-It Centre