Essential business distinction leaves some in Peel, Toronto without options
Thrift store closures hurt low-income families ahead of holiday season
TORONTO — Christmas decorations, clothes and kitchenware are visible from the front window of National Thrift on Toronto’s Keele Street, but people who stop by are greeted with a sign on the door that says the store is closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Non-essential businesses in Toronto and neighbouring Peel Region have been ordered by the province to close until the week of Christmas, in an effort to suppress surging COVID-19 infections.
While grocery, hardware stores and other department chains remain open for in-person sales, shoppers and business owners say the new restrictions have made it harder for people with less disposable income to get by.
Vanessa Barra peered into the dark front window of National Thrift on Wednesday afternoon. She said she recently moved to Ontario and was looking for some essentials like kitchenware.
“When I moved here, I didn’t take a lot of stuff with me,” Barra said from the sidewalk outside. “With the lockdown it’s kind of hard to find a job and I’m looking for something cheap I can use. I think this kind of place has that.”
At a nearby Value Village, more than a dozen people approached the locked doors, some looking for second-hand clothes, others for games to pass the time while stuck at home.
Municipal and provincial officials have encouraged residents to support local businesses during the four-week lockdown by ordering online or using curbside pickup.
For National Thrift, cataloguing thousands of unique donated items online would be “literally impossible to do,” said operations manager Jake Davis. It’s left customers who rely on lower prices to buy clothes for their families, as well as kitchen goods and other essentials, in a bind.
“Their dollar does stretch a little bit further than going to regular retail,” Davis said, adding that clothing should be considered a necessity, especially with kids still attending school in Ontario’s locked-down zones.
The timing may also hurt families ahead of the holiday season, he said. National Thrift stores sell second-hand toys that have been cleaned up to look like new, so families who can afford gifts for their kids if brand-new is outside their price range.
“It is very, very unfortunate,” Davis said. “I think the safety of everyone is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. But in terms of closing, it does hurt a lot.”
Pegasus Thrift in east Toronto also shut down its in-person sales this week. Profits from the second-hand shop fund the charitable activities of the Pegasus Community Project, which runs day programs for adults with developmental disabilities, some of whom volunteer at the store.
The lead-up to Christmas is often a busy time for sales among shoppers who rely on lower prices.
“It’s devastating to the people we support, it’s devastating to the families, it’s devastating to my staff,” Murphy said of the closure this week.
Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore locations, which sell used furniture and other home goods at reduced prices, have remained open in the Greater Toronto Area and Peel Region during the lockdown stage because of the hardware component of their catalogue.
Jim Waechter, who directs the ReStore Success and Product Support program for Habitat for Humanity Canada, said the stores have had to pivot to more online sales, curbside pickup and delivery. He said it’s been a worthwhile shift to continue offering sustainable, affordable options during a difficult time.
“We’re proud of that role that we play in our local communities,” he said.