You love vintage clothes.
You love the way they look, you love the environmental benefits of avoiding fast fashion, but let’s be honest:
There’s also a thrill you get from finding an item you know NO ONE else will be wearing.
And while you might sometimes go to general thrift stores, you love it when someone can do that for you, find the best finds and curate them so you don’t have to slog through fifty pit-stained old fast-fashion tops before you find anything remotely nice.
The only disadvantage? Sometimes, you feel a twinge of guilt for lining the pockets of stores instead of charities.
What if you could have both? What if you could find incredible classic vintage items — the kind that don’t ever make their way to the big box, billionaire-owned or the unethical thrift stores — but know that your money is going towards supporting those in your community who need it the most?
Shopping at Double Take means you’re doing just this.
We Are More Than A Thrift Store!
For all those who like to hunt for treasures themselves, we have a bricks & mortar thrift store that was established in 1999 where we sell clothing and housewares at affordable prices for all. But for those of you who prefer to click and buy, our online shop provides a direct hookup to incredible reserves of classic clothes that came to us straight from the owner.
We have so many incredible donors who come to us specifically because they don’t want to donate to any of the big box thrift stores in Toronto. So, we end up with some real gems! We are incredibly thankful to these donors - like the son who brought us all of his late mother’s designer purses and told us it was her wish for them to come to us. Or the couple who drove across town to donate half their shoe collection because they were moving in together and there was no room for it all. These donors know that as a social enterprise, our profits are plowed right back directly into the community through our parent organization, Yonge Street Mission (YSM).
Sometimes, this looks like providing paid work placements for YSM's Employment Services program participants, where they not only have a highly supportive atmosphere at work, but also have access to wraparound support in employment counseling, mental health counseling, food services and more.
Sometimes, it’s sending over packages of winter coats to our Food Bank, or gift certificates for folks who are in need of more emergency clothing, so they can shop with dignity.
We’re Looking After the Planet and our Community
In the Studio space, we offer damaged clothing and textiles that other thrift stores might throw in the garbage, like shrunken wool sweaters, stained t-shirts and ripped jeans. Our staff also take some of that material and fashion it into new products to sell in the space!
Our Artist-in-Residence program offers local artists a chance to sell their upcycled / refashioned products in a professional bricks & mortar retail space at a highly reduced consignment rate, while also providing our customers with the opportunity to buy local and environmentally-conscious artisan products. Artists are paid to lead workshops in the store, which inspires and empowers people from all backgrounds to re-fashion and upcycle, to make do and mend for the sake of the earth.
When you shop at Double Take, you’ll find rare vintage gems and get them with a clear conscience, knowing you’re supporting the community as you support your own unique and beautiful style.
