Wilcannia residents can now shop locally for affordable and stylish clothing at the town’s new recycled clothing store thanks to a new social enterprise set up at 56 Reid St by CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes.
The Wilcannia fashion store, called Cooee Clothing, started trading earlier this month and attracted residents needing a wardrobe refresh, stocking recycled clothing for women, children, and men, as well as a small selection of accessories and gift items.
CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes chief executive officer (CEO), Anne-Marie Mioche, said the organisation had started the recycled fashion store to meet a community need.
“Clothing is an essential item but until now there’s been no local shop selling clothing,” Ms Mioche said. “We’ve started this store within our branch to make quality clothing available at an affordable price.”
The recycled clothing store complements the organisation’s other social enterprise, the Cooee for Coffee café at 54 Reid St, and Cooee Cuts – an affordable hair salon that operates one week every month, also from the CatholicCare Wilcannia-Forbes branch office at 56 Reid St.
The Cooee social enterprises are funded by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Office for Women, and Catholic charity Mary Ward International Australia, with the initiatives providing training for women and girls in life skills and job readiness in communities that often lack those opportunities.
“In our first days of trade we’ve received great feedback about the quality, range and pricing of items for sale,” said Ms Mioche. “Community members have also had the chance to say hello to our social enterprise assistant, Merica, who has been recruited for the fashion store.”
Cooee Clothing is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm in normal weeks, and during the Cooee Cuts week of each month, Cooee Clothing is open four days a week.
