PLANS to transform St Barnabas Hospice’s Cardinal Close warehouse into its biggest shop yet are underway.
To capitalise on the success of its charity shops across the county and to create a destination retail experience for its supporters, St Barnabas is currently working hard to refit and transform its current sorting space into its largest and most ambitious shop to date.
Emma-Jayne Parker, Superstore and E-commerce Manager, who will be running the new store, said:
“We’re really excited to be bringing our older warehouse building to life with this exciting new project. As well as bringing sustainable shopping to the Uphill area of Lincoln, our focus will be on selling as much donated stock as we can. We’ll be doing this by working with the local community and building on these relationships.
“One feature of the new store will be a book area, a flexible space which we hope to be able to hold workshops and events in. It will also have a unique and comfortable seating area for customers to relax with a book while loved ones explore the shop.”
Todds, a Lincoln-based business, won the tender to undertake the construction and interior works at Cardinal Close, Lincoln.
Shane Beesley, Managing Director at Todds has worked closely on the project to make the ideas become a reality, from major structural changes to design choices.
Shane said:
“I have made it my priority to work on this project from day one. I wanted to make sure the team at St Barnabas got the results they were after and will be left with a retail and office space to be proud of. The team working on-site are loving working so close to home too. We rarely have the luxury of working in Lincoln, as a lot of our work is UK wide.
“I must thank Emma-Jayne, Scott and the team for making us feel so welcome – with plenty of cups of tea and biscuits to keep us going!
“There is actually another reason I am so passionately involved in this project. My father and I have always supported the Hospice, as members of our own family have been cared for by the nurses at St Barnabas. We know, more than most, just how vital it is to the Lincolnshire community. The Hospice will always be close to our hearts and we are so proud to make a positive impact with this exciting development.
“Office space renovation is Todds’ forte, but the new warehouse shop is a really unique opportunity for us to showcase what else we can do. I promise the end result will be something very special.”
Emma-Jayne added:
“We’ll be retaining a sense of the £1 shop element that has been popular in our other shops and will be having lucky dip boxes too. We’re really hoping to bring in a new wave of shoppers with our preloved furniture and electrical departments.
“The Warehouse will also be home to a calendar of upcycling classes to teach shoppers how to paint, revive, reupholster and restyle homeware.”
As well as the retail space, the warehouse will also have a recycling function where donations of clothes, books and metal that cannot be resold will be prepared for disposal in the most ethical way possible.
The store is aiming to be open for business at the end of the year, for updates, follow St Barnabas Hospice on social media or visit the website at: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk
charitytoday.co.uk | 27 October 2021
