The fine arts committee for Centraide hosted a friperie pop up fundraiser.
The faculty of fine arts (FoFA), in collaboration with the Centraide du Grand Montreal committee, hosted the Fine Arts Friperie Pop up shop in the EV building on Nov. 13.
Every November, committees associated with Centraide organize various fundraisers to help fight poverty and exclusion in the city. The fine arts representatives on the Centraide committee have hosted events of their own every year.
Last year, the fine arts committee organized a bake sale. This year, the two fundraiser organizers, Jennifer Cressey and Johanna Mongraw, both administrative assistants to the FoFA dean’s office and representatives on the Centraide committee, decided to prepare a fine arts thrift pop up.
“To be honest, I had lovely things at home that I did not want to give to the thrift store or sell on Kijiji, and then the idea just popped into my head,” said Cressey. “If I have clothes that I want to donate, so must people on the fine arts committee.”
All the clothes were donated by FoFA faculty and staff. A few pieces also came from various representatives of the Centraide committee.
The organizers said the fundraiser was much more successful and popular than they expected, raising more than $1000 in total, according to their estimates.
“I felt thrilled to be able to help a great cause like Centraide,” said Cressey. “Plus, it feels good to give students access to affordable clothing and designer items. The fundraiser is a win on three levels: sustainability, students, and Centraide.”
The pop up was overflowing with clothes and knickknacks in the morning, and the nicer products were all gone by the end of the day.
The room was organized into different sections. There were racks and tables dedicated to everyday second-hand clothes and housewares, but the fine arts committee also arranged a boutique section filled with handmade items and designer clothes.
Shoppers could find designer bags and high-end clothes in good condition in that corner of the room. The boutique section was sold out by the end of the day.
High-end clothes and handmade potteries retailed for $20, while knickknacks, shirts, and pants were sold for about $5 at the beginning of the day, but the organizers reduced the prices as the day progressed. From 3 p.m. onward, everything at the pop up was sold for $2.
“It’s great, especially for students who love thrifting,” said Bellen Catalan, a photography student at Concordia.
Catalan and her friend Lily Juno had a class on the third floor of the EV building and decided to check out the Fine Arts Friperie Pop up during their break.
The two organizers said they were very satisfied with the results of their fundraiser and had a great time organizing and hosting it.
“It was a fun day. It was really great to see different staff members from other units and students from different programs coming around the dean’s office,” said Mongraw.
Mongraw and Cressey are inclined to repeat the pop up on a bigger scale next year, but nothing is concrete yet. Clothes lovers and knickknacks collectors should stay on the lookout.
