In the Eastern Townships border community of Coaticook, Ressourcerie des Frontieres runs a nonprofit thrift store built on a simple conviction: what one household no longer needs, another can put to good use. The organization’s own slogan captures that philosophy directly, describing a bulky, unwanted item as treasure waiting for someone else. That principle shapes everything sold on the shop floor at 177 rue Cutting, where donated furniture, housewares, clothing, small appliances, and other secondhand goods are sorted, cleaned, and restored by staff and volunteers before being priced for resale to area shoppers.
The Coaticook store is the founding location of a wider regional network that now also includes a second shop in Magog, opened inside the former Spring Canada building on rue Principale Est. Rather than operate as a stand-alone secondhand shop, Ressourcerie des Frontieres pairs its retail floor with a bulky-item pickup service that reaches 22 municipalities spread across the MRC de Coaticook and the MRC de Memphremagog, giving residents across both regional county municipalities a way to have unwanted furniture and large household items collected directly from their homes rather than left at the curb or hauled to landfill. Coaticook residents also have access to a dedicated drop-off deposit point at the same address, a convenience the organization does not currently extend to its Magog location.
That combination of curbside-style collection, staffed sorting, and in-store resale is what distinguishes this Ressourcerie from a typical donation-bin thrift shop: nearly every item on the sales floor has passed through hands trained to assess, clean, and in many cases repair it before it goes back into circulation. The work itself doubles as a community benefit beyond the merchandise, since the sorting, restoration, and retail operations create paid employment and volunteer opportunities for local residents while keeping usable goods out of the regional waste stream. For budget-conscious shoppers, treasure hunters, and anyone furnishing a first apartment or downsizing a family home, the rotating inventory means frequent visits can turn up different finds each time, from kitchenware and decor to seasonal clothing and functional small appliances.
Anyone hoping to donate rather than shop can bring items to the Coaticook deposit or arrange a pickup by calling the organization directly, and the same phone line handles questions about what the store can and cannot accept. The Coaticook shop can be reached at 819-804-1018, with a toll-free line at 1-855-804-1018 for callers outside the local area, or by email at info@ressourceriedesfrontieres.com for donation and general inquiries. Because the organization operates as an environmental and social nonprofit rather than a private resale business, every purchase made at 177 rue Cutting helps fund the collection routes, staffing, and community programming that keep the Ressourcerie’s mission running across both MRCs it serves.
In short, Ressourcerie des Frontieres’ Coaticook store is a nonprofit secondhand shop and donation hub that collects, restores, and resells household goods and bulky items across the Coaticook and Memphremagog regions, giving local shoppers affordable finds while diverting reusable items from area landfills.
