They say you’re only as strong as the people you surround yourself with. Or do they say that? If they don’t they definitely should, because without these special people and organizations we would be a mere shadow of the Everything Old you see before you today.
Part of running a successful business should always include supporting the community around you, which is why we’re proud to say that every dollar you spend with us helps us to support these wonderful people I’m going to list below. Be sure to check them out yourselves, and we hope you find little ways to support your community too!
Ashton Armoury Museum
We have been working with the Ashton Armoury Museum since 2017. Staffed entirely by volunteers and located in a working Armoury, The Ashton Armoury Museum is dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, interpretation and presentation of historical artifacts related to the resident units at the Ashton Armoury. With 15 military vehicles included in their extensive collection, 11 of which are used in events all around town, they are always in need of funding to help maintain them in working collector condition. Our relationship began when we donated some pieces they needed to restore a WWII Dispatch Rider’s motorcycle. When they told us that they had some items they needed to sell because they didn’t fit within their collection, we partnered with them to put their pieces before a huge audience and made sure everything was finding new homes for a fair price so they could put as much as possible back into the maintenance of their vehicles and collection!
If you’re at all interested in military history, consider stopping by for a visit! Everyone there is friendly and knowledgeable, and you’ll walk away with a deep appreciation for the service units represented there.
Hours Of Operation
Year around Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (noon).
Address
724 Vanalman Ave Victoria,
BC V8Z 3B5
Royal BC Museum
Every once in a while a piece comes in that is more than decorative, more than functional, and has a historical value that tells us that it needs to be preserved for future generations. That’s when we call our friends at the Royal BC Museum. We are proud to have placed a collection of items with them that belonged to ground-breaking Victoria artist Sophie Pemberton, including her own hand-painted desk. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect when they needed the perfect camera to help them re-create a local Victoria photographer’s studio, as we had just gotten in the perfect studio camera on a big old rolling Kodak Century Studio stand! We haven’t been to see it yet because we work all the time, but you should definitely go. Say hi to the camera for us!
Museums are an important repository of our history, and we are lucky to have the Royal BC Museum as part of our community!
Hours Of Operation
Daily 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Address
675 Belleville Street,
Victoria, BC V8W 9W2
Sidney Museum & Archives
It’s part and parcel of being a museum that you end up with acres of things that don’t quite fit your collection. When the Sidney Museum & Archives started a big renovation and clean up, we were honored to be chosen to help them find new homes for the bits and pieces that didn’t fit in to the amazing space they’ve curated in beautiful Sidney by the Sea!
Make sure you check them out the next time you’re out on the peninsula. They’ve got collections to interest all ages, and they’re always keeping things fresh with new exhibits!
Hours Of Operation
Daily 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Address
2423 Beacon Ave,
Sidney BC V8L 1X5
Educational Tours
Part of the thrill of working around history is seeing people’s faces light up when they learn something new. That’s why when groups ask to come by for an educational tour, we always try to make extra time to let people learn from the little bits of history we carry. We’ve had local Girl Guide groups in for tour numerous times, as well as loaned bits out to be taken into seniors homes for memory stimulating show and tell sessions!
Our Place Society
Having ridden the knife’s edge between having a home and losing one, when the Our Place Society was throwing a fundraising Harvest Brunch we were ready with donations of items to help set the scene for them. Thanks to their efforts, $50,000 was raised to help people come in from the cold!
Remember, organizations like Our Place Society can make a dollar go a lot farther than you or I can, so please consider donating to help them in their mission to provide a sense of hope and belonging to Greater Victoria’s most vulnerable citizens.
Address
919 Pandora Avenue
Victoria, BC V8V 3P4
Saanich Police Historical Society
We love a challenge, so when the Saanich Police Historical Society asked us to keep an eye out for items for them we jumped to it! It may have taken a while, but when we finally found something for them it was a doozy! Their collection is now the proud home to an original BC Provincial Police uniform including the cap, buttons and badges as well as an armband worn by the Special Police assigned to the Royal Visit to Oak Bay in 1939.
There’s nothing better than knowing something has found the perfect home, and it didn’t get much more perfect than this.
Address
760 Vernon Avenue
Victoria, BC V8X2W6
Facebook
BC SPCA
We love animals, and we love people who love animals, so when the BCSPCA Thrift Store in Victoria reached out to us about carrying some of the higher-end donations they received we were more than happy to help! Partial proceeds of the sale of these items go directly to the BCSPCA to help them help animals all over the province.
To make a direct donation to the BCSPCA, please click the link below!
Hours Of Operation
Mon-Sat: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Address
103-1497 Admirals RoadVictoria, BC V9A2P8
Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation
As Canadians we are EXTREMELY blessed to have access to healthcare for each person in our society, and sometimes the places that provide healthcare need a little extra help so they can serve us better. That’s where the Saanich Peninsula Hospital Foundation comes in, and since its formation they have raised almost 50 Million dollars for new equipment, facilities and programs at the hospital! That’s why when they call for donations for silent auctions and other fundraisers we are always happy to help contribute to keeping quality healthcare on the Saanich Peninsula.
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 001 Regina
Sometimes people walk into our shop and find a connection with an item that goes beyond the every day. That was the case when a lovely woman was visiting and saw a certificate to commemorate a momentous occasion: the day the HMCS Uganda rounded Cape Horn and became the first ship of the Royal Canadian Navy to do so. When she told us that she was part of a team organizing what would likely be the last reunion of the surviving crew of the Uganda and asked if she might borrow the piece to show to them, we knew deep in our hearts that it belonged with them. We donated the certificate, and after visiting and thrilling the crew at the reunion it travelled to the museum at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 001 in Regina where it still sits today.
Local Theatre
Can we talk about how important the arts are? Music, Painting, Sculpture, Design… but the theatre. Ah! The theatre! When local schools and small companies put on productions, often they are working with negligible budgets. So when they come knocking needing a little bit of this and that, we do our best to get them what they need within what budget they have, even if sometimes all that budget holds for us is a mention in their program! I also can’t say I’ve ever refused a couple of free tickets. You know, if they’re offered…
