St. Barnabas Church is set to unveil a spiffy new look for its poplar thrift store.

Maryanna Moore,who has been coordinating the project, said the church decided it was time to update the thrift store and give it a new look.

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“We are completely restructuring the store, painting, cleaning. We are putting a lot of work and effort into the business,” she said. “It’s going to be a completely different looking store. We are going to have new merchandise in there.”

Rev. Emilie Smith is looking forward to the grand reopening of the thrift store on Saturday, April 25.

The grand opening coincides with a pancake breakfast being hosted by the New Westminster Lions Club at St. Barnabas Church, 1010 Fifth Ave.

“It is going to be the best, best thrift store ever,” Smith said.

New Westminster resident Mark Hiibner will be running the thrift store and interviewing volunteers interested in helping out. The church is also partnering with an agency that provides volunteers for several weeks, giving volunteers skills they can put on a resumé.

“It’s a bit of a new concept for the church and the store,” Moore said. “It is going to be more of a business attached to the church.”

The aim is to provide a place where shoppers want to return again and again.

Funds raised at the St. Barnabas Thrift Store help support the church’s outreach programs, such as the emergency food cupboard and the community lunch.

“I think this is freshening it up,” Moore said. “The revenue is important. It does help with the food programs.”

For more information about the thrift store, call St. Barnabas Church at 604-526-6646.

Shoot the Fraser

Fraser River Discovery Centre is inviting amateur and professional photographers to enter its annual photograph competition.

The centre will put together a jury who will select 12 images to be exhibited in its galleries for one year. The jury will also be awarding three prizes in three categories: The River Wild; The River at Work; and The River’s People.

The theme of this year’s contest is the colour red.

“Red is not often a colour associated with the Fraser but this year we wanted stretch people’s expectations of the river,” said exhibit coordinator Kathleen Bertrand in a press release. “We are always surprised by how photographers decide to interpret the theme selected. We are really looking forward to seeing what people come up with.”

Photographers can visit the Fraser River Discovery Centre’s website www.fraserriverdiscovery.org for contest details on how to enter. Photographs will be accepted until Aug. 15 and the exhibit will open on Sept. 23 during RiverFest, the Centre’s annual festival that celebrates the living, working Fraser River.

Save the date

Royal City residents will get to explore various all corners of the city with upcoming Jane’s Walk in New West. This year’s free walks are set for May 1, 2 and 3 and include a diverse range of walks. Full details can be found at www.janeswalks.org/canada/new-westminster/.

Do you have an item for Around Town? Do you know a local person who deserves some recognition? Send ideas to Theresa McManus, tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca, or find her on Twitter, @TheresaMcManus.