Autism Jersey Boutique, 13 The Parade, St Helier
Shop, volunteer, donate
We like to think of ourselves as a charity shop with a difference or possibly the best little charity shop in St Helier!
We moved to our new home at 13 The Parade in 2019, into a more modern retail environment and have been able to build on the vision we founded in our Bath Street premises, when our previous charity shop re-located and we became “The Boutique”.
There are two important ingredients that make our Boutique vision work.
Generosity + time = fundraising success: the generosity of the donations we receive and the generosity of the many hours of time our volunteers give. Without these two key components, we could not exist and fundraise for the charitable services of Autism Jersey.
We have always strived to offer clean clothing in good condition, presented to you, in a stylish yet organised manner. We can only do this because of the amazing generosity & thoughtfulness of the people who donate to us. These donations become our stock which call #BoutiqueChic when it is ready for sale.
We are happy to take all sorts of clothing donations, in saleable reusable condition, but it is extremely pleasing that we receive so many high-quality donations. We believe this is partly down to our window displays. People tend to donate what they see, and you will always see varied window displays of quality, interesting & contemporary clothing. Our windows also enjoy a prime position in St Helier, which draw our shoppers in.
Visitors to the Island are often surprised to learn we are a charity shop.
And people driving past have been known to park up especially to come in and find out about an item in the window which caught their attention.
Our volunteers are affectionally known as #TeamBoutiqueChic and are integral & vital to our success. We are given around 100 voluntary hours a week by Team Boutique Chic, which is an outstanding contribution. Our Volunteers are a hardworking yet fun team who volunteer for a variety of reasons. Some of our volunteers are autistic, some have family members who are autistic, some just have a desire to help a good cause.
Without a doubt though, the entire Team benefits from the support and friendship that is found in our Boutique.
The final ingredient to this recipe, is of course our shoppers!
People use charity shops in different ways now. Some shoppers prefer to buy second-hand as this suits their recycling requirements, others like a bargain, and others simply cannot afford to buy new. We do our best to cater for everyone, from reasonably priced winter coats and children's clothing & school uniforms whilst designer items & good quality enable us to fundraise well for Autism Jersey.
Has this interested you in the work of our Boutique?
If you would like information on donations, or volunteering within the Boutique, please contact us, or find us on social media:
✉ AJBoutique@autismjersey.org
☎ 01534 871678
