CALGARY When Donna Riopel opened her Kensington consignment store in 1997 she’s always made sure all excess clothing that didn’t sell went to a charitable organization. “I sort of made a pact to myself that any clothing we did not use I directly wanted to affect change with women, with single mothers, with the homeless and with people in need,” said Riopel, owner of Trend Fashions located on Tenth Street N.W. But that has been difficult during the pandemic and clothes destined for charities are now piling up in the basement of her store. “Since COVID’s hit, every organization has stopped picking up the charity.”
CALGARY, ALTA. At Pure Hearts Trends, located along Kensington Road N.W. nothing is over $20. But the. pop up consignment store isn’t just about offering a good deal. It offers support to a great cause, too. “We came together as a team to raise awareness, prevention and education towards human trafficking,” said Dawn Fisher, who helped launch the store. Fisher was 13-years-old when she was lured into sex trafficking. It lasted about a year. “From my past, I was exposed to human trafficking at a young age so that’s where my passion and my heart lies is to help raise awareness and prevention for other people,” said Fisher.