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Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Mammoth business effort opens door on charity Simon boutique By Deirdre Dalton
HARD work, grit, determination and teamwork are just some of the vital ingredients necessary for the dream of a shop that would help fund services for people experiencing homelessness to become a reality.
A real team effort from start to finish, The Open Door, a fabulous, newly refurbished charity shop, where all proceeds will go directly back into the much-needed services provided by South East Simon Community, was officially launched last week.
Located on Michael Street, it is the brainchild of South East Simon Director and prominent and well-known Waterford businesswoman Regina Mangan. It was made possible by the goodwill of a number of businesses and professionals from Waterford who, together, created a beautiful boutique type shop.
“When I joined the Board of Directors of South East Simon, despite the fabulous work being done, the community was financially very vulnerable. We needed to find a way, quickly, of generating a steady source of income to underpin basic services and get us to a place where we can expand,” Ms Mangan told the crowd who gathered for the opening.
“We had talked about a shop, but finding the right space, in the right location, within our tight budget took a bit of time. Then I read an article about two young women in Malahide who had opened a gorgeous second hand designer outlet called ‘All About Eve’. I went up to Malahide to meet them, and Karen Kavanagh and Tracy Briggs not only said we could use their design, they came down for two days with their carpenter. They did the wallpapering effect and organised the display units all out of the goodness of their hearts.”
The wallpapering she refers to is no ordinary wallpaper - it is hundreds of individually placed black and white photos of old movie stars, a work of art in itself. It was not the only gesture from one business to another. Everything in the shop has been created from donations and the work and talents of the local Waterford community.
“The Open Door was a project that brought out the best in everyone,” Ms. Mangan said. “So many local business people donated their time and resources at no cost to our community in a show of solidarity and support. This is a good news story and an amazing demonstration of the goodwill and effectiveness of our local small and medium size businesses. The end result is this glorious looking shop which has something for everyone at absolute bargain prices.” Chris Anderson, Regional Development Officer, said, “This is a wonderful opportunity, during National Simon Week, for us to celebrate what Simon Communities do throughout Ireland. We don’t judge. When we meet someone who needs our services or help we reach out to a fellow human being and we give them a hand up.”
The event was attended by many prominent Waterford business people and CEO of Waterford Chamber of Commerce Michael Garland, who emphasised the importance of the Simon Community’s work, stating that Waterford Chamber would be one hundred per cent behind both the Open Door and the South East Simon Community.
“We aim to continue to offer an excellent range of stock at bargain basement prices. We sold a beautiful wedding dress on our third day trading. The happy bride got a designer dress, which originally retailed for _2,000, for _100,” explained Regina.
The Open Door will be featured on RTE’s Nationwide tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7pm.
