It can be really hard to find the right space for your organisation and ApparelXchange is no exception. We also know that we're not alone, with many of the other social enterprises, charities and private businesses struggling to find the right property for their operation. It might be the right size, but in the wrong place; or a great location but in terrible condition… AND we haven’t even brought into consideration the costs and liabilities associated with leasing space from landlords.
Sometimes it can feel as if the exact space we need just doesn’t exist - or if it does, we really can’t afford it. But, as with many small businesses and organisations, we've learnt to be pretty resourceful, making the spaces we do have, work for us - and we're hoping you can help us with the exciting next step.
Here’s our property journey so far, and it’s not that glamorous!
- It’s 2017 and our journey started where all social enterprises seem to start, in the founder’s home. So ApparelXchange started with piles of clothing getting sorted, washed and boxed up for table top sales at schools - all in my front room, kitchen table - in any spare space we had.
-
From there we moved to Kilmarnock Road, sharing a space with the wonderful Art Space G41. This gave us space to sort and store clothing while we got to grips with what we were doing.
-
From there we moved to Haggs Road and the old Dollar Rae building. This space was palatial, with amazing light and parking. In that space, there was room to grow again, and to be open as a shop on a more regular basis - but by 2019 we needed a better location for retail.
-
So our next move was into the St Enoch Centre in July 2019, setting up our first ever dedicated retail space without very much knowledge of how to do this - a steep learning curve.
-
Then of course Covid came along, and St Enoch shut several times during 2020 before we eventually closed it down late in 2021. Sadly the city centre of Glasgow was badly affected; many shops had to shut and people just weren’t heading into town as much as before the pandemic.
-
From our time at St Enoch, we realised we needed more space to sort, (we had very little backroom space in St Enoch) so we got a space on Cadogan Street in early 2021 - our Warehouse on the fourth floor. We're still in this space, which is a huge open-plan space that we've turned into a treasure trove of preloved fashion for kids.
-
And then in the autumn of 2022, we opened our sunny little Nithsdale Street store - what a relief it was to finally get back into a community and build on our relationships with our lovely customers.
Throughout this time (and without naming names!) we have had multiple leaks through ceilings, shared broken boilers with no heating for extended periods of time, difficult negotiations with landlords who wanted to charge us way too much, tradespeople overcharging us, astronomical insurance charges, short-term leases, unclear boundaries with our neighbours, blown out windows… you get the picture.
However, while the negatives have stretched us at times, there have been some really supportive landlords, facilities managers and neighbours, with lots of good will towards our social enterprise and what we want to achieve.
But now it is time for us to move again. We need to consolidate our operation - working across two sites is too demanding for our small organisation. We need about 8,000 square feet of space, with street level access, in a community, where we can carry on doing this work which means so much to us - and to you, our loyal customers and supporters.
So here’s the ask: do you know anywhere like this? Do you know someone who can help us find one? Or - do you have loads of cash and can help buy us somewhere amazing?!
This next stage on our property journey is crucial for the exciting step change we want to make in 2025, making a real difference for our customers, our free package service users - and ultimately, of course, the planet.
If you think you can help, get in touch with Izzie here.