Andrew Dutton is site manager for Goodies Junction, Mugga Lane. Photo: James Coleman.
A month ago, the concrete floor seemed to stretch endlessly – now it’s barely visible between shelves of bric-a-brac and pieces of furniture.
The place is only expected to become more crowded from Monday, when the first customers pour in, in search of a bargain. And if a sneak-peek preview of Goodies Junction at Mugga Lane is anything to go by, they’ll find them.
The former locations of The Green Shed at the Mugga Lane and Mitchell resource management centres – now operated by St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn (Vinnies) under the ‘Goodies Junction’ name – reopen to the public on 1 July.
Both sites were left completely empty under the rules of the handover on 30 May, but donations only paused for a day.
During a media tour on Friday morning (28 June), Mugga Lane site manager Andrew Dutton said the number – and quality – of items coming in through the doors had been “phenomenal”.
“It’s amazing how much Canberrans have embraced us – just donating, coming in and kind words – we’re absolutely loving it.”
It’s taken the past month to arrange the stock so the retail components of the business can reopen. There are sections for bric-a-brac – all beautifully sorted by colour – furniture, TVs, toys, books, hardware, sporting goods, and camping items for sale – and cages of clothes available for free.
The outdoor section for items like pushbikes, outdoor furniture sets and garden ornaments is up and coming too.
“Everything that comes in – if we can sell it, if we can repurpose it, if it can be reused, we’ll recycle it,” Mr Dutton said.
A case in point is the retail desk, where customers will pay for their items. It’s entirely constructed from items that have come through the doors.
“We’ve adapted the old counter base with some old electrical items that weren’t working, reclaimed timber from old pallets or table tops or other bits of broken furniture … to make a cool talking piece.”
Up to 50 of the 84 staff from The Green Shed opted to transition to Vinnies, including Pat Rodgers, long-time face of The Green Shed who started at the Mugga Lane tip all the way back in 1996, when it was called Revolve. Pat is Vinnies’ go-to man when it comes to pricing.
“He’s seen it all, and we’re trying to keep everything exactly the same as it was, so we’re following Pat along and if he says he’d put a particular price on an item, that’s what we’re sticking with,” Mr Dutton explained.
“All the prices are what we call ‘pre-haggled’. Everything is cheap as chips here.”
Under the previous owners, the best of the best was relocated to The Green Shed Underground store on City Walk in Civic, where it was cleaned up and sold at higher prices.
Mr Dutton said there may be some items that are distributed to Canberra’s Vinnies stores, but “we’re trying to keep as much as possible here”.
“Vinnies stores are their own thing – we’re completely separate here.”
And plenty of the items are impressive. A stand-out for Mr Dutton was when an older man donated a “beautiful” steamer trunk and antique fireplace surround, and he never ceases to be amazed by some of the items people want to get rid of.
“I can’t wait to see the community come in and see what we’ve created. I think it’s going to be great.”
The Goodies Junction shops at Mitchell and Mugga Lane are open from 7:30 am to 4:45 pm, seven days a week, starting Monday, 1 July. Both sites are also open to receive donations during the same hours.
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