They thought nobody would shop. Now the thrift store helps keep their church afloat.

When Grande Cache (Alta.) United first started holding monthly garage sales in its basement more than a decade ago, nobody expected a huge turnout.

The idea was simple: sell donated items, bring people into the church and raise some money for the small congregation. But the project has now become a permanent fixture and one of the church’s most visible ministries, extending its presence well beyond Sunday worship in the community of just over 3,000.

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“We didn’t think it’d work,” says Carol Burrill, manager of the Grande Cache United thrift store. “One minister that came in said, ‘You’ll never get enough donations in this small town.’” But the monthly sales were successful enough that the congregation decided to set up a permanent store. “It’s just grown so much. It’s unbelievable,” says Burrill.

Volunteers add new donations on a regular basis. While they are unable to accept large furniture, the shelves and racks hold clothing, housewares, books, toys, home décor and other basics. Those items have become especially important for newcomers arriving in Grande Cache, including recent immigrants trying to set up homes.

“A lot of new people come in and get a lot of housewares because they come in with nothing,” says Burrill.

“Mainly stuff to get by on.”

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The store also functions as a sort of outreach program, where people come not only to shop, but also to find support. Burrill remembers helping a couple who came into the store without warm clothing or a place to stay. Volunteers gave them clothes and connected them with a local organization that arranged temporary accommodation and transportation.

Some customers, she says, pop by for the shopping and stay for the conversation. Burrill remembers one woman who, when she finished looking around, lingered near the volunteers. “She said, ‘Well, I’m ready to go, but I just like to stay and listen to you girls talk.…You’re always so funny,’” Burrill recalls.

Burrill says the store has attracted a community larger than the congregation itself. Only four of its 12 volunteers belong to Grande Cache United. The rest come from other churches and even other countries, including China, Japan, Ukraine, Poland and India. “It’s a real mixer,” she says. “We learn lots of things from them, about their countries and their life.”

As the store has grown, it has also become a source of financial support for the wider community. After the Jasper wildfire in 2024, the thrift store donated a month of sales revenue to relief efforts. It has also donated to the community’s four schools, which helped introduce more families to the store.

Burrill says the thrift store is one of the ways Grande Cache United has been able to sustain itself. “It keeps our church going now,” she says. “We’re very fortunate that way.”

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Paniz Vedavarz is a journalist and editor in Toronto.

This article first appeared in the September/October 2026 issue of Broadview with the title, “More Than a Thrift Store.”