Golborne Road shop opens
The local community came together to celebrate the opening of a stylish new Octavia charity shop on Golborne Road on Saturday 7 March, as its freshly decorated doors opened to a waiting crowd of excited shoppers.
Fashion bloggers and vintage fashionistas mixed with community leaders in the sunshine to celebrate the opening of the store – which will help raise money for the local community through the donation of pre-loved clothes and accessories.
The shop was opened by Octavia digital media student Graziella, along with Kensington Mayor Cllr Will Pascall and Kensington MP Felicity Buchan, who generously donated a pre-loved evening dress of her own to the shop.
Golborne ward councillors Emma Dent Coad, and Sina Lari also came to show their support and meet and mingle with local residents and Octavia staff, including Octavia Chief Executive Sandra Skeete.
Perfectly in tune with its vibrant location, the new store was stocked with an eclectic mix of vintage, preloved and collectable clothes and accessories in readiness for its much-anticipated opening. Donations for the shop came from the generosity of local people and some corporate donors. As soon as the shop opened items were flying off the rails – with an item selling every two minutes during the first hour of trading.
Close to the junction with Portobello Road, the Golborne shop is at the heart of North Kensington - an area where Octavia has provided homes, care and support services for over 150 years. Octavia has 18 shops in central and west London. Funds raised from them go towards helping local people of all ages and backgrounds, demonstrating the organisation’s vision to bring community and sustainable fashion together for the common good.
Felicity Buchan, Member of Parliament for Kensington, said: “I was delighted to attend the opening of the new Octavia charity shop on Golborne Road and to donate a dress. It’s a fabulous shop with lots of vintage clothing - very in keeping with the Portobello and Golborne Road area.”
Reena Mukherji, Director of Octavia Foundation, said: “It was fantastic to see so many local people turn up in full force to support the opening of our new store, helping us to establish a presence right at the heart of the community we serve. It was also fitting that the ribbon was cut by Graziella – a talented young creative who has been involved with our Base@theReed youth club since 2015.
Octavia charity shops raise vital funds that help Octavia reach thousands of Londoners, matching volunteers with isolated older people, offering life-forming opportunities to young people and connecting unemployed adults with opportunities for personal development. Our shops rely on the generosity of local people so please do support the Golborne Road shop by donating or volunteering.”