By Tony McLellan
Published in September 2019
Too often, in this day and age, are the words “community focused” used to prop up the image of businesses not necessarily focused on the community good. Behind the downtown Kitchener Farmer’s Market however, there exists an unassuming storefront, decorated with flowers, sunlit windows and a bright green door. Welcome to The Green Door, a vital community space.
“It’s more than just a store,” comments Eunice, a long-time employee at The Green Door. “People come here not just to shop, but to connect and to feel part of a community. It’s a beautiful atmosphere inclusive to everyone and I love it.”
After opening in 2012, The Green Door has transformed into so much more by incorporating volunteers with broad skill sets. Over the last couple of years the Green Door Arts Space has invited volunteers to share their creative skills by hosting workshops utilizing crafting donations from Worth A Second Look.
Volunteers and employees at The Green Door focus on making the store a bright inviting, well organized store that everyone enjoys coming to. It is important that volunteers enjoy their roles but also work towards goals and employment skills that they are hoping to develop.
Recycling Donated Textiles
TGD is also an exemplary recycler of donated textiles, from scraps of clothing to nearly new luxury brands. Michelle explains that “what we try to do when we get the clothing is separate out anything that we want to be sold from items that can be given away for free to St. John’s Kitchen.
As for clothing that is worn or damaged beyond resale/donation, The Green Door finds a way to productively use those items as well. “When we can’t repair an item, sometimes the sewing group is able to use it. Other times, we have to recycle it. We employ a company which comes and takes those to a facility in London to be repurposed”, states Michelle. Educating about textile waste and consumption is another area of concern. “When we have volunteers come in from various companies for even a day, it exposes people to just how much clothing is being donated and recycled.” The Green Door has become a valuable source of waste reduction education.
Handcrafted Soap
Ask anyone who frequents The Green Door and you will likely be informed about their unique handcrafted soap, crafted by the talented staff and volunteers regularly in-house. “We have been making our soaps since the store opened but about 5 years ago we increased production of the soaps and added other products to our body product line”, says Eunice, of the organization’s successful, sweet scented product. According to Michelle, “when we develop new types of soap, it’s all in collaboration as a group. We come up with interesting ideas, we create tester bars, receive feedback and then we go from there. It’s almost always a big hit.” There are a plethora of lovely scents to choose from, depending on the season you visit them in. Seasonal soaps are among the most popular, with a “cedar, cinnamon clove” holiday soap being in high demand. The store has 8 soaps available year round and offers a seasonal soap only available during the Christmas holiday season. The Green Door Arts Space also produces a variety of salves, lip balms, scrubs, body oils and a newly launched solid lotion bar.
While it started out as a used clothing store, The Green Door has functioned as a pillar of community goodness, including supports for recent immigrants looking to make connections. “We’ve come to know a lot of people new to Canada, who after just a few months of volunteering here are able to get jobs”, says Eunice with pride. “Just getting to see people who start their volunteer work with Level 1 or 2 English volunteer here for a while and practice speaking English around the project ….they then go off with more conversational English and are able to find work”, says Michelle.
Present and upcoming projects at The Green Door include a partnership with The Button Factory Arts, collaborating on drawing workshops and other visual art related projects, and Saturday art classes are free of charge. Staff also help to connect local youth with the Art Shift program, focused on helping young people gain employment skills through arts activities.
Tony McLellan is a journalist student at Conestoga College and is doing a two-month internship at The Working Centre.
