Jasmine Holdsworth and the Challis St Op Shop are set to say goodbye. 80685 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By VANESSA CHIRCOP
AFTER 37 years of running the Challis St Opportunity Shop in Newport, Jasmine Holdsworth is saying goodbye.
The charity Op Shop will be forced to close its doors at the end of the month due to rent increases and other expenses.
“We just can’t make ends meet,” Jasmine said.
The 75-year-old knows the shop will be severely missed but said she’s had no choice but to close its doors.
Jasmine said the shop hasn’t just been a place to buy affordable used goods, but a place where the most vulnerable residents could turn for a cup of tea, canned goods, warm blankets and friendly conversation.
“It’s sad of course (to close) – I didn’t want it to come to this,” she said.
“I just can’t keep worrying anymore.
“I’ve never received any funding – you just can’t go on forever.”
Despite her almost four decades running the shop, Jasmine remains modest about her volunteer work.
She is no stranger to charity, prior to running the shop, Jasmine welcomed fourteen foster children into her home along with raising her own six children.
Jasmine said she knows it will be difficult for some in the community who have come to rely on the shop’s charity.
“Once people stopped giving us canned goods (to distribute) everything went bad,” she said.
“Times are hard now.
“If the rent wasn’t so expensive, I would stay.”
Jasmine has now slashed prices at the shop, hoping to sell as much as possible before closing on 27 May.
As for what doesn’t sell: “It will go to where it’s needed,” she said.
