You don’t have to sell the farm to get decked out in country from head to toe at the Mission Thrift Store in Newmarket.
One shopper on a recent Wednesday wondered aloud if country was making a comeback?
It would appear the answer is a resounding yes, and if it’s country gear you’re looking to buy for the upcoming September Magna Hoedown charitable event, you know you’re in the right place the moment you walk in the door.
The annual Magna Hoedown is the largest annual fundraiser in York Region and has raised more than $13 million for hundreds of local charities, non-profits and community groups throughout its three-decades long history. It takes place Sept. 13 and Sept. 14 on the expansive front lawn of Magna International’s headquarters in Aurora, and has stayed true to its country roots.
A large, hand-painted sign hangs over the store’s country section that beckons you to “Get your gear here for the Hoedown”.
It’s an idea that Mission Thrift Store volunteer Diane Mitchell came up with to help customers with their hoedown shopping.
“I asked a friend who paints if she’d be willing to do a sign and she said yes, just find me something to paint on,” Mitchell said of Newmarket resident Cindy Gibson. “So I found an old pine headboard sitting in the back of the store that didn’t have a footboard, volunteers cut the legs off it, Cindy painted it, and two days later we had a sign. We hung it from the ceiling with rope.”
Since the hoedown section went up last Friday, about half of the merchandise has flown out the door, store manager Dave Chellaiah said.
“We’ve been collecting for about a year and have been increasing our inventory because we saw a need for it in the community,” he said.
The volunteer-driven, non-denominational Christian organization opened its 28,000-square-foot store and donation drop-off centre at 17225 Yonge St. in 2017. It has seen demand increase for country get-ups each year in advance of the Hoedown.
Putting together an outfit for the charity bash would seem to be effortless at the thrift store. There is a vast selection of plaid and checked shirts in many colours, fringed jeans, cowboy boots for men and ladies, cowboy hats, purses, belts, and other accessories, all at rock-bottom prices.
It’s a good bet Hoedown shoppers will be dancing the do-si-do at the checkout counter.
Mission Thrift Store is at 17255 Yonge St., just south of Davis Drive. Call 289-803-3044 or email [email protected] for hours and more information. Visit them online here.
For tickets and more on the Magna Hoedown, visit here.
