Keeairas

Opportunity Finds

There is a magical quality that resides in every op shop. Big or small, organised or messy – one can never intuit the treasures within.

Searching through the racks, passing over countless shirts and jackets reminiscent of recent and outdated trends. Finding a white linen top – like a piece of art – hidden beneath a grey polyester sweatshirt. A cute child runs around, pulling open the curtains on an occupied changeroom. Walking to the counter and buying the top from a woman who volunteers there on weekends. She is a grandmother to seven, babysitting them in the evenings. This is not online shopping, clicking buttons on a screen. It is an intrinsically humanistic transaction, speaking to people while contributing to their community. And the clothes have soul, with a history that is unknown and maybe long.

But that does not matter so much as the love I have for my white linen top, a beautiful addition to my wardrobe. Something I will cherish and which has value.