“We are so excited” - Wings Community Support gets ready to open its vibrant and eclectic shop
A new community shop is opening in Gosport aiming to support people with disabilities throughout Hampshire.
Wings Community Support is celebrating its opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, October 20 at 3.15pm. Pompey legend Alan Knight is providing the safe pair of hands to wield the scissors and officially open the store which will sell a range of affordable products.
Andrew Pallister started the Community Interest Company (CIC) in order to fill the gap left by Revitalise, a charity that provided respite holidays for disabled people, after it closed down last year.
Andrew is using his experience of overseeing Revitalises charity shops to start up a new avenue of support for Hampshire’s disabled community. The Gosport shop is the starting point, but Andrew is hoping it will provide the base for the non profit to grow across the county.
He said: “Our vision is to improve quality of life through meaningful initiatives, such as accessible holiday breaks for people with disabilities, equipment to support independence and mobility, and enhanced community resources to foster connection for all ages.
“These projects, shaped by the needs of Hampshire’s communities, will be powered by the success of our Gosport shop.
“We hope that this is something that really grows. We would like to open four or five stores eventually. Our aim is to help people all across Hampshire, it just so happens that our first shop is in Gosport.”
Ahead of the official opening, the shop will be open to customers on Saturday, October 19. A lot of work has gone into the refurbishing the unit and turning what was formerly a funeral home into a welcoming and enticing space.
Andrews said: “The shop itself will be affordable but it will also be eclectic and quite bohemian in its design. We have completely refreshed the shop to make it feel vibrant and we just can’t wait to open.”
While a number of charity shops are struggling in the current economic climate, Andrew is hoping they can set themselves a part by being modern and never turning donations away.
He said: “We want to be the shop that never says no, that people say are always grateful and will always take donations. I think that has been lost with shops saying they are full or can’t take books. The reason we think we can take it is because we are modern and believe we will be able to sell it, whether that is in shop or on Vinted or eBay.”
The store will sell a range of products from ladies and menswear to DVDs, books and games. Since launching its Facebook page a few weeks ago, the response has overwhelmed Andrew.
He said: “We are so excited. We have been keeping it fairly quiet and only launched our Facebook page a few weeks ago. According to our profile it has already hit 10,000 people in the area. It’s a bit overwhelming, we have had people saying it is brilliant as too many charity shops are closing down.