TIMMINS - The new owners of a thrift shop are looking forward to building a community.
Jan’s Closet has had an organizational update, and the new owners hope they can do some good for the community while providing a thrifting experience for everyone. They hope their work can make a difference for those in need in Timmins.
“What we do here is we’re trying to build relationships by offering donations,” said owner Philip Mauro. “I believe it’s working, I believe those relationships are developing.”
He and his college friends formed a corporation, Icuran, to run the Birch Street business and do community outreach work. They bought the store in late 2024.
“That corporation owns the store, so we are looking to do a lot of outreach work with food and clothing,” he said.
The plans include a partnership with the neighbouring DIY Community Health. Mauro said the partnership is a mutual aid arrangement that makes sense for him and his partners.
“I did my placement with DIY during the summer, doing outreach in Timmins and meeting people downtown, just getting to know them. Handing out some food and picking up needles,” he said. “It’s more like we do something for them. They help as much as they can for us.”
While the store is fully staffed, Mauro wants to offer volunteer hours that could lead to employment for people looking for work, regardless of their current living situation.
“If they want to come through that way with a social worker after or during store hours, then they’re welcome to,” he said.
Icuran's goal is to make sure people needing warm clothes and other services can access those services, and the store itself helps fund the behind-the-scenes work the founders are doing.
“I want people to be aware that the people they see around town that are struggling are human beings,” said Mauro. “The only way it gets better is that we treat them with love and respect and create the systems in the city with everybody in town to support them.”
Donations are always welcome, and Mauro said they’ve received piles of clothing that the staff are constantly going through.
“We have mountains of clothes to work with,” he said.
He hopes that the partnership with DIY Community Health and the work within the store will help people in need.
“The way to build trust is to care for people. If you don’t offer that care, then they don’t think you’re doing anything for them,’ he said. “It’s a trust that’s been lost, so our goal is to be as close to a wrap-around service as possible.”
He said that the support from the community in the shop is vital to providing that help.
“The only way that can be done is by people coming in to buy stuff,” he said. “Ultimately, there is rent to pay and employees to pay, so people need to come in and support the business, and I believe that what we’re doing will create a change that will be noticeable over time.”
Jan's Closet is located at 3 Birch St. N.
