A Norfolk charity is opening a ‘funky, contemporary’ shop in Castle Quarter selling recycled furniture, clothes and white goods.
Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney, which raises money to tackle homelessness, is opening a new 8,180 sqft store on Friday in the shopping centre designed with an ‘urban’ look, with all the shopfitting also created from recycled materials. The charity diverts 1500 tonnes of rubbish per year away from landfill in the UK through recycling.
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Cecile Roberts, director of Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney, said: ”We have been looking for a location in the heart of Norwich for a little while and, when we found the unit at Castle Quarter, it was an obvious choice for us with plenty of space to create the kind of store we want, and loads of storage. This won’t look like an ordinary charity shop. The store will be a great place to shop with a funky and trendy look and feel. Everything we sell is of great quality.
“Donated items come from far and wide – we even get items from Harrods. Because items are refurbished to a high standard and recycled, the prices are very affordable. The store will feature a gallery too.”
Emmaus Norfolk & Waveney was established in 2011 and is part of a network of communities across the UK with facilities able to house 32 people at a former conventin Ditchingham. To gain new skills, each person living within an Emmaus community works in the charity’s shops, collecting and delivering items, serving customers and sorting donated stock. All of the work carried out on the new store in Norwich has been completed by Emmaus members.
The charity was originally started in France after the Second World War by a priest, Father Henri-Antoine Grouès, better known as Abbé Pierre. He was an MP, Catholic priest and former member of the French Resistance who fought to provide homes for the 70,000 homeless people who lived on the streets of Paris at the time.
Robert Bradley, centre manager at Castle Quarter, said: “We look forward to Emmaus opening its store in Castle Quarter. The charity does amazing work for deserving people and we are delighted to be providing them with a high profile outlet in heart of Norwich.”
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