For the past 16 years, Green Again has been asking for donations, but that is no more.
A sign could be seen on the Orillia business’s door on Thursday, stating “No longer accepting donations.
For the past four years, they've been struggling to make ends meet, but Green Again isn't your average thrift store. The main mission is to support Green Haven Women's Shelter.
"All of the proceeds from this store goes to Green Haven, and also the girls come in with their children and they can shop here for free," says manager Lisa Schop.
Many of the 500 women who pass through the shelter every year often have children by their side.
But not everything is free. Prices for the public are purposely marked low in order to support Orillia’s low income residents.
"Probably the lowest in town. We have the rent as well as one person’s wage. The rest of the store is run by volunteers," says Schop. "It's not working out financially."
Liz Westcott, executive director of the shelter, says they'll now be forced to go back to the old routine.
"Donations would come in in garbage bags, shoved in the corner and on occasion and whenever we could, women would have an opportunity to kind of dig through it on the living room floor and it just missed everything from dignity to the opportunity to actually get at something that might better fit," says Westcott.
Westcott says she's still optimistic that another opportunity or partnership will come along, but if that doesn't happen soon, the doors at Green Again will close come the end of March.
