ONE of Tamworth’s best kept secrets is out.
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St John’s Op Shop, located in the hall behind the Anglican church in Carthage St, is not one of the biggest op shops in town – but it is one of the most exclusive, according to shop co-founder Joan Fitzgerald-Tate.
Some of the clothing items that come in via the single bin outside the church still have their swing tags intact – even designer labels – and most of the shoes have barely walked a mile.
“We sell our clothing incredibly cheaply. For $7 you can buy a shopping bag of general clothing – whatever you can fit in,” Mrs Fitzgerald-Tate said.
“For two bags it’s $10 – and if you roll, you can squeeze an enormous amount in.”
Mrs Fitzgerald-Tate said she’s often given free classes on “op shop folding 101” – just so her customers can get more into their bags, increasing the value of their purchase – and moving stock at the same time.
Mrs Fitzgerald-Tate and her friend Bev Johns began their retail career in September 2001 when the local vicar asked if they could open a church op shop.
With a background in dental nursing and early childhood development, Mrs Fitzgerald-Tate said she knew nothing about retail, but they both tucked in and made a huge success of the venture.
“It’s a mission shop, so all the money we makes goes to missions – in town and away from here,” Mrs Fitzgerald-Tate said.
“We support a lot of local things in Tamworth. We supply clothing to the women’s refuge, the homeless men’s units, and keep supplies of toiletries and clothing at Tamworth hospital for people who are admitted in a crisis situation.”
You can always bag a bargain at St John’s Op Shop, which is usually only open three mornings a week – Monday to Wednesday.
Anyone who hasn’t ventured in there should take a bo-peep on Saturday as it’s the “end of season sale” and will open from 8.30am until noon.
When they started the shop, Mrs Fitzgerald-Tate was only planning on working there for three years, but that turned into almost a decade more – and she finally hung up her apron and retired on April 8.
“It’s time for me to bow out and we have two excellent chaps running it now – David Rose and Darren Ralph,” she said.
“The shop is always looking for donations and volunteers are very hard to come by, which is why it’s only open three mornings a week. We still do very well and manage to help quite a lot of people in need.”
The end of season sale will offer even bigger savings than normal – so roll up and bag your bargains at the biggest little op shop sale of the year.