Just off 11th Avenue Southwest in Calgary’s Beltline neighborhood, the WINS Thrift Store shares a roof with the head office of Women In Need Society, the charity that runs it. That proximity is not incidental: every purchase made inside this compact, walkable storefront funds programming operated a few steps away, from basic needs support to employment training for women and families across the city. Shoppers browsing the racks of donated clothing, footwear, and household goods are, in effect, standing inside the organization’s operational heart, and the store’s staff can point customers toward WINS support programs directly rather than through a call center or a referral chain.
Beltline is one of Calgary’s densest, most walkable communities, packed with mid-rise apartment buildings, restaurants, and a transit-friendly grid a short walk from downtown office towers and the Stampede grounds. That urban setting shapes the store’s customer base and its inventory turnover: donations come in steadily from a population that moves apartments often, and racks of clothing, small furniture, and household items rotate quickly as a result. The store keeps regular retail hours, open Monday through Saturday from 9 in the morning until 6 in the evening, and Sundays and statutory holidays from 10 until 5, with donation drop-off accepted up until an hour before closing on any given day.
WINS itself has a somewhat unusual recent history that shapes how this location operates today. When Calgary’s long-running Inter-Faith Furniture Society wound down its operations in 2023, its board chose to donate inventory, vehicles, equipment, and funds to WINS rather than let that capacity disappear from the city’s social service landscape. That gift helped WINS expand its retail and furniture recovery work into what is now a network of seven thrift stores across Calgary plus a dedicated furniture outlet called the MORE Store, all functioning as a social enterprise whose retail proceeds, alongside donor gifts and community partnerships, underwrite direct services for women and families. Organization wide, WINS estimates its combined programs reach roughly 25,000 people across Calgary in a given year, a scale that would be difficult to sustain without the steady revenue seven retail locations generate.
Because the Beltline store sits at the same address as WINS head office, it also tends to be the location most connected to the organization’s administrative and community partnership work, making it a natural first stop for anyone curious about how a secondhand purchase turns into direct support for a neighbor. Bargain hunters come for the clothing racks and rotating furniture and housewares selection; many leave having also learned about the emotional support and skill building programs their purchase just helped fund. The Beltline WINS Thrift Store is Calgary’s clearest example of a secondhand shop and a social service headquarters operating under one roof, where every transaction feeds directly into local, women focused programming.
