Little Livvy’s settles in
Little Livvy's Place, the sister store of pregnancy and early parenting support service Olivia's Place, has settled into its new space in Drouin.
The opportunity shop specialises in baby and maternity items, catering to children two and under. However, organisers hope to expand their stock to cater to children up to five years old in the future.
Olivia's Place and Little Livvy's moved to 2-4 Calway Street in Drouin in June, which has provided a significant amount of additional space for stock, staff and patrons.
In comparison to the op shop's previous location, this one is much more spacious.
"It's probably at least 10 times the size... we are super happy with the space and how many items we can display in it," said the organisation's material aid coordinator Junelle Wilson.
"We've added maternity wear to our range, [and] we've added toys that we didn't have before."
About 40 volunteers run Little Livvy's, which operates from donations made to Olivia's Place and puts proceeds back into the support service.
"All the proceeds from Little Livvy's go back into our Family Support Program... the profits buy items that don't usually get donated, formula, new nappies, things like that," said Ms Wilson.
The Family Support Program support families experiencing poverty and stress through pregnancy and early parenthood. Through the program, new and expectant parents can receive advice, get connected with services and provide much-needed items like prams and cots through Olivia's Place material aid program.
For parents and caregivers of children two and under, Ms Wilson said there are many benefits of shopping at Little Livvy's Place.
"We have baby clothes, maternity clothes, bedding, bouncers, playmats, bassinets, pushchairs... anything you can think of for a baby basically," she said.
"It's money-saving... you need so much when you've got a baby that is just great to buy something second-hand."
Ms Wilson said it was also an environmentally friendly practice.
"It's also great for the environment, there's so much clothing and so much waste," she said.
"We are a bit of a throw-away society, we buy new, we throw it away, so it's great to buy second hand."
Across the world, consumers and environmental organisations are becoming aware of the impacts discarded textiles have on the environment. According to the Australian Government each year Australian's acquired an average of 27 kilograms of new clothing per person, and discard around 23 kilograms of clothing to landfill each year.
For many families, op-shopping for children's clothing could be a way to reduce this type of waste.
Ms Wilson said some families even drop items off as they pick new ones up, saving money and reducing waste.
"It's great to come and get some cheaper items... also, a lot of people buy for day care or they shop for going away camping," she added.
All items at the shop are examined, cleaned and safety checked before being sent off to families or put up for sale in the Little Livvy's.
Ms Wilson said new volunteers are always welcome, with jobs available for people of all skill sets.
"Our volunteer shifts are 10 to 2, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday," she said.
"Some volunteers grab items and take them home... they'll grab a pram and take it home to clean."
Little Livvy's Place is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.