SECOND HAND WISDOM
Inside a two-storey shophouse on At Narong Road in Klong Toey, a middle-aged mother is helping her 20-year-old daughter sort through a large pile of used clothes. Then the front door opens and in walks a Japanese man holding a sports bag. He unzips the bag and unloads its contents — trousers, shirts and T-shirts all clean and neatly folded — into a provided basket. These clothes will too be sorted at the end of the day into piles of clothing. The next day, they will be ready for sale.
The shop, Second Chance Bangkok, may look like your typical second-hand outlet, but the difference is in the objective. Second Chance Bangkok’s aim is to improve the lives of people, especially children, living in Klong Toey slum. Second Chance Bangkok was founded in 2009 as a project by the Foundation of Urban Neighbours of Hope. It was initiated by Australian missionary couple Chris and Jodie MacCartney after they moved to Bangkok with their daughters in 2007. They have lived in the slum community ever since.
In the early years, they received second-hand goods from many people, especially expats who were about to leave the country, said Second Chance Bangkok general manager Hachaya Tookohplook. By word of mouth, the team quickly found their stockroom full of donated stuff. “[The items] were piled up to the ceiling,” recalled Hachaya.
They decided to rent the shophouse, offering the goods at a minimum price, starting at 5 baht for a pair of socks or 20 baht for a shirt. Second Chance Bangkok accepts all kinds of goods that are in good condition and function properly, no matter how small or big they are: toys, coffee mugs, shoes, luggage, electronic products, home furniture, mattresses.
They even offer a scheduled pickup service for big loads. Takings are used to cover operating costs, contribute to the education of local children and support those in need in the slum. They also employ people from the community to run the shop and a group of women to create new products from unwanted textiles, especially denim.
“Upcycled Wares” is the title of this women’s project. Its members use their sewing skills to create cute dolls, sling bags, cat pencil cases, wallets, elephant key chains or alphabet banners. They can produce made-to-order products, some of which are exported.
The team at Second Chance Bangkok organise workshops in schools and charity events to promote reducing, reusing and recycling. For example, they teach kids how to make cotton bags out of old T-shirts.
“We hope that people will not just throw away things they don’t want, because they can be useful for others. These unwanted things deserve the second chance,” Hachaya said.