Trader blames charity shops for hard times (From Cotswold Journal)

Trader blames charity shops for hard times

5:00pm Sunday 23rd September 2012 in News By Sarah Taylor

AN Evesham businesswoman says the future of her secondhand furniture store is being threatened by an increase in the number of charity shops across the Vale.

Rosa Keenan, of Rosa’s Emporium, High Street, blames the large increase in the number of charity shops for the closure of her second hand furniture stores in Pershore and Tewkesbury.

She told the Journal that losing two shops in the last 18 months has led her to adopt a new slogan, ‘charity begins at home’.

“I think the closures were because of the increasing number of charity shops,”

she said. “At least three opened up while I was in Pershore.

The stuff was still coming in but people weren’t coming in, they go to the charity shops because it is the trend.

“We were getting swamped with them. Even Mary Portas said we are becoming a high street of charity shops.

“I am not taking anything away from the good work they do but now they are having a lot of furniture.

They can get it cheaper then us traders which we think is unfair.”

Ms Keenan said she believes people should sell unwanted goods themselves and then donate the money to a charity which tells them where the money is going.

“I think people can be naive as to where the money goes,”

added Ms Keenan. “People should be donating to local charities not the national charities.

“Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. It is great people want to donate to charity – but I think they have crossed the line.”