VIDEO: Kelowna's Value Village first to reopen after COVID-19 closure

The company that owns Value Village has 315 stores across North America and Australia. The first one to re-open after COVID-19 prompted their closure is the one in Kelowna.

The store has been cleaned and sanitized like never before, employees have been suited up with protective gear including face shields, masks and gloves. Then, earlier this week, the store quietly opened its doors.

Manager Bryan Basaraba was proud to see his store open first.

"We wanted to do a soft opening and just see how everything goes," said Basaraba. "We made sure that when our customers and our team members come back that we're ready for them."

If you look inside, you can see that there's more space and the cleanliness is noticeable.

"Our top priority is for our shoppers and team members to feel safe in our stores," said Sara Gaugl from Value Village's parent company, Savers via email.

"Decisions to reopen are being made on a store-by-store basis as we consider local market conditions, follow guidance from local health and government officials, and ensure we’re operationally ready to reopen our doors with enhanced safety measures."

Along with the deep-cleaning, sanitizer stations have been added, employees are wearing protective gear, space has been added along with aisle markers and hours have been reduced to allow time for additional cleaning.

"When I heard they were opening this week I was very excited," said Helen Brownrigg from Kelowna Big Brothers Big Sisters. The thrift store is a central part of their fundraising.

"That means our agency can get going again and start running our programs," she said.

Before clothes go out on the racks at Value Village they are inspected for cleanliness, but the company said their business model doesn't allow for each individual item to be laundered. People always have the option to launder items after they get them home.

"We encourage that, for people to launder at home if they wish," said Basaraba, "but our quality process we have in the back is quite strict."

He said early reaction to the reopening has been positive. "I think the biggest reaction was happy that we've reopened, happy how the store looks and they're happy to get back into shopping," he said.