Rebound closes social enterprise store in downtown Sarnia

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Closing the ReFound store in downtown Sarnia Saturday was “bittersweet” for Tiffany D’Angela.

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“I’m so proud of the youth who have worked here,” said the client services team manager at Sarnia-Lambton Rebound, who oversaw store operations.

ReFound, a used clothing store with higher-quality merchandise and a boutique atmosphere, opened in a rented Lochiel Street storefront in May 2023, D’Angela said.

It had a “pretty steady” customer base, and helped its paid employees — former program users with the youth-focused social services agency — gain valuable skills and confidence before going off to college, university, or opening their own businesses, she said.

“We have some really great success stories that happened,” she said.

But the social enterprise store, launched to help fund the $200,000-per-year Hub — a drop-in-space for 12-24-year-olds Rebound opened in 2017 that also offers youth in need meals, a place to do laundry and connect with community agencies — hasn’t been making money, D’Angela said.

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Continuing with the so-far break-even ReFound business model, even after about $200,000 in grants from the Judith and Norman Alix and Ontario Trillium foundations, isn’t viable, she said.

“We just couldn’t do it at this time.”

There hasn’t been enough traffic coming in, she said, suggesting being downtown and away from major shopping centres was a factor.

Cost of living increases also likely played a role, making it harder for the retail startup to succeed, she said.

“It’s more of when you open up a retail presence you need at least five years in — you’re looking at losses and things like that,” D’Angela said, adding homelessness downtown may have been a factor in people’s reticence to shop there, but wasn’t a major concern heard from patrons.

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“We piloted to see if it was viable and right now it’s just not,” she said.

Any merchandise not sold by the end of Saturday was destined for Rebound programs, including a clothing bank at the Hub at St. Luke’s church, she said.

More youth have been accessing the Hub meanwhile for food bank items, hot meals and supports, she said.

“And we are always looking to different creative ways to continue to fundraise to support that,” she said, adding the Hub is “still going strong.”

ReFound also let youth makers sell their wares in the ReFound store, she said, noting people have been asking what will happen to them.

“They’re doing great and they’re moving on to their own businesses,” she said, adding some will also be featured in Rebound’s second annual Makers Expo July 13, starting at 10 a.m., at the church and in Rebound’s office, at the corner of Wellington Street and Indian Road.

Rebound doesn’t have any long-term sustainable government funding for its programs and will continue looking for creative fundraising opportunities, she said.

“I don’t want to mention anything we have planned at this point specifically,” she said.

“Nothing is off the table.”

tkula@postmedia.com

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