What do you think of buying secondhand stuff—be it books, clothes, furniture etc.? Have you considered the impact you would be making in saving the environment by doing that? And you would be saving quite a bit of money too. Sounds like a good deal, doesn’t it? But buying or selling secondhand goods isn’t a popular concept in Nepal and it’s actually often frowned upon.
Chijuman Gurung wanted to change that and so he started Sukhawati Store Foundation.
“I got the idea when I was staying in Korea. I used to work at Beautiful Store which was a thrift store,” says Gurung adding that a lot of people came in to buy secondhand clothes and other household goods and he thought this concept of not throwing away what you don’t need but selling it, at a lesser price, was something that could work in Nepal too.
Once back home, Gurung collaborated with some housewives, in their late 40s and 50s, and started working on the idea. When they first started, they took to gathering clothes that weren’t of use to them and started selling them—usually making use of one of their garage spaces.
The idea, Gurung says, was to sell cheap clothes so that people wouldn’t buy new ones every time they needed something. This way people could reuse things and help save the planet. Eventually they started putting up pop up stalls at various places around Kathmandu, especially during festivals.
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Samita Rana Magar, event coordinator at Sukhawati Store Foundation, says that they felt pop up stalls weren’t enough which is why they focused on opening up physical outlets of their startup. They opened their first store in Mhaipi, near Kathmandu. The rent was Rs 7000.
“Having a physical outlet helped us connect with more people and we started getting more customers,” say Magar. From earning Rs 500 per day to earning Rs 9000 in a day, Sukhawati Store Foundation seems to be doing quite well in making people understand that secondhand doesn’t have to mean old and useless—that one man’s trash can really be another’s treasure.
Sukhawati Store Foundation operates as a non-profit organization. It works on the model of a social enterprise. Business solutions are applied to social problems and one of their main goals is to promote sustainability.
“We spend hours in the processing room and separate clothes that have been donated because not every item that is donated can be sold. Some are way too torn and some cannot be used at all so it’s not really an easy task I would say,” explains Magar. However, what can’t be used isn’t always sent to the landfills. Magar adds that they have collaborated with Dristi Nepal and they use clothes that can’t be sold to make blanket and cushion covers.
Sukhawati Store Foundation is now planning to make bags out of old jeans. According to Magar, they have already worked on the idea and made some sample pieces as well.
To make sure the items fly off the shelves, Sukhawati Store Foundation tries to price them reasonably. Sarmila Tamang, store supervisor, says the clothes are priced between Rs 30 to 250.
“At Mhaipi, we only got customers who weren’t financially stable and couldn’t really afford to buy clothes,” says Magar adding that many people used to feel embarrassed to even enter the store. But when they shifted to another area—in Samakhushi—they worked on the layout and décor to make the space look attractive and that has worked in their favor. Sukhawati Store Foundation now attracts more people from all kinds of backgrounds.
Suman Shrestha, finance officer of Sukhawati Store Foundation, says they don’t just sell clothes anymore. They also sell books, CDs, shoes, accessories, stationery items, kitchen wares, furniture and even electronics like computers and televisions. “The change of scene and working on the appearance of the store have benefitted us. It makes the things on display look appealing, even though they are secondhand,” he says.
This organization has also done numerous collaborations with other organizations like Laxmi Foundation and such with the idea of “sharing happiness through clothes”. They have been running a project called “Hope” where they visit various districts and conduct awareness campaigns on the importance of children staying in school.
In 2020, Sukhawati Store Foundation will be undertaking the ‘Nyanomaya’ program, under which they will distribute blankets and winter clothes to those in need. Another one of their initiatives is to educate school children on how to utilize clothes. They plan on doing this by making them bring clothes that they don’t need and helping them turn those clothes into something else they might need.
The team says there’s no denying that changing people mindsets about secondhand clothes and items in general has been tough. However, they have been trying to educate the masses on the impact making clothes has on the environment as well as trying to reduce the waste we produce and what is sent to the landfills.
Magar adds that one of their goals is also to bring a little happiness into the lives of those who need it. The clothes or everyday things you have no use for might make life a little bit better or easier for someone else. “We’re trying to bring about change and spread a little cheer while at it,” she concludes.
(Kavya Biswokarma)
