Community Articles
General News · 18th July 2023
Yvonne Kipp
The Amazing Wonderful Fabulous Free Store on Cortes
a wonder of the World where treasures beyond imagining are found;
coming in and going out…
Dearest Islanders and Visitors:
It is so fitting that one of the secret treasure sites on the Summer trail is a dear little space crammed with “stuff”. Welcome to one of the wonders of BC – The Cortes Free Store. One Monday this month, one hundred and thirty seekers came through the narrow little doors into the tiny space. They were welcomed, locals and visitors, by smiling women - women who take your bag and hope that you leave with a bag of equally inspiring things. These amazing women give their time freely; sorting out piles and piles of material things for everyone to see and find just what they wanted, carefully displayed, labelled, shelved, and ready for a new home.
The Free Store is right out of another era. Born in the heart of ‘The Time of Change’, of Woodstock and The Hog Farm and Wavy Gravy where there is peace and love and sharing lovely things for everyone.
This wee store is where the earth’s materials move. The Free Store, a pulse spot, where we can do some real work! hands-on help to ease the load of stuff smothering the Planet and recycle things we need and to give away. A frying pan, amazing clothes, a copper beer mug, things that charm us like silk scarves, little one’s dollies and games, books and books and books from Rebus to Fifty Shades of Grey in with Yeats and Atwood and Whitman and Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book and Bateman New Works. Men’s down jackets, boxes of prime matching dishes, expensive shoes, and it is all for the taking.
Recycle with loving care, take time “do the right thing!” Sort your stuff before you bring it in. No one is ever turned away.
This letter is to remind you all that when you leave or pick up, remember, that a fantastic woman, the one who smiles and receives your bag, goes through every item in the bag to see if it is clean, in good shape, ready to be shelved for another person’s delight.
All for the love of our Planet. Respect! Gratitude for Volunteers! A tiny platoon, a team of a few women who serve us all in the most direct hand’s-on way.
Sadly, not every bag has been thought through.
Please remember that a human, only women so far, after decades, will go through everything, sort out your bagged ‘throws’; in essence take care of stuff you no longer need. These awesome ‘angel’ volunteers go through every bag and box. Every bag and every box is checked and treasure, is saved for the rest of us to recycle and love.
You know what you could do for the planet sort out the rubbish from the treasures? Treasures that you know some little kid, some grandmother, will take pleasure in finding just what was needed. Leave your recycled cat food cans, and mouldy, dirty diapers, stained T-shirts, pants you wore to slaughter a goat, broken toys for the Garbage. If your ‘stuff’ does not look good enough for your family, recycle it somewhere else. This is a very high-end store only the best and REALLY it is up to you to:
“Do your Best for everyone.” It’s Free!
Have fun in the sun. I found the best bathing suit, fits me like a glove, for free and I feel like a million dollars.
Thank you.
Yvonne.
Free Store summer schedule:
June until the end of September.
Mondays and Wednesdays 9-12:30.
a wonder of the World where treasures beyond imagining are found;
coming in and going out…
Dearest Islanders and Visitors:
It is so fitting that one of the secret treasure sites on the Summer trail is a dear little space crammed with “stuff”. Welcome to one of the wonders of BC – The Cortes Free Store. One Monday this month, one hundred and thirty seekers came through the narrow little doors into the tiny space. They were welcomed, locals and visitors, by smiling women - women who take your bag and hope that you leave with a bag of equally inspiring things. These amazing women give their time freely; sorting out piles and piles of material things for everyone to see and find just what they wanted, carefully displayed, labelled, shelved, and ready for a new home.
The Free Store is right out of another era. Born in the heart of ‘The Time of Change’, of Woodstock and The Hog Farm and Wavy Gravy where there is peace and love and sharing lovely things for everyone.
This wee store is where the earth’s materials move. The Free Store, a pulse spot, where we can do some real work! hands-on help to ease the load of stuff smothering the Planet and recycle things we need and to give away. A frying pan, amazing clothes, a copper beer mug, things that charm us like silk scarves, little one’s dollies and games, books and books and books from Rebus to Fifty Shades of Grey in with Yeats and Atwood and Whitman and Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book and Bateman New Works. Men’s down jackets, boxes of prime matching dishes, expensive shoes, and it is all for the taking.
Recycle with loving care, take time “do the right thing!” Sort your stuff before you bring it in. No one is ever turned away.
This letter is to remind you all that when you leave or pick up, remember, that a fantastic woman, the one who smiles and receives your bag, goes through every item in the bag to see if it is clean, in good shape, ready to be shelved for another person’s delight.
All for the love of our Planet. Respect! Gratitude for Volunteers! A tiny platoon, a team of a few women who serve us all in the most direct hand’s-on way.
Sadly, not every bag has been thought through.
Please remember that a human, only women so far, after decades, will go through everything, sort out your bagged ‘throws’; in essence take care of stuff you no longer need. These awesome ‘angel’ volunteers go through every bag and box. Every bag and every box is checked and treasure, is saved for the rest of us to recycle and love.
You know what you could do for the planet sort out the rubbish from the treasures? Treasures that you know some little kid, some grandmother, will take pleasure in finding just what was needed. Leave your recycled cat food cans, and mouldy, dirty diapers, stained T-shirts, pants you wore to slaughter a goat, broken toys for the Garbage. If your ‘stuff’ does not look good enough for your family, recycle it somewhere else. This is a very high-end store only the best and REALLY it is up to you to:
“Do your Best for everyone.” It’s Free!
Have fun in the sun. I found the best bathing suit, fits me like a glove, for free and I feel like a million dollars.
Thank you.
Yvonne.
Free Store summer schedule:
June until the end of September.
Mondays and Wednesdays 9-12:30.