Popular Aberdeen charity megastore Somebody Cares at Hazlehead Park will shut its doors to thrifters on Saturday.
Customers have been filling crates for £10 during its final days to help clear it out.
The sprawling Hazlehead store which took over the old Dobbies Garden Centre has been a haven for bargain hunters looking for furniture, clothes and household items for close to 15 years.
Somebody Cares megastore closes
Somebody Cares interim chief executive Dr Yekemi Otaru says the Hazlehead operation will combine with its thrift store in Denmore Road at Bridge of Don, starting Monday.
Meanwhile, the Hazlehead megastore will continue to act as a donation drop-off point on set days.
Somebody Cares, which raised over £1.4 million in 2023, provides food parcels, clothing and household goods for people in need in Aberdeen and the shires.
It also provides services for those trapped in addiction, victims of cuckooing, domestic violence and mounting debt.
But in recent years its Hazlehead megastore building has fallen into a poor state of disrepair and has been the subject of a series of floods.
Water ingress has also left some parts of the building covered in mould.
Building in need of substantial upgrades
Yekemi said the changes are bittersweet for many customers, but overall the response has been positive.
She added: “The move has been a long time coming with the state of the building.
“It’s a shame we have to leave, and we have tried a few things to make it more conducive.
“But we have to look after our team and make the environment suitable for customers which is why we have had to leave.
“Megastore is right next door to some customers; it’s also next to Hazlehead Park where they go for a walk every evening, so there’s a bit of sentiment around that.
“But overall we’ve had really positive feedback.”
The megastore building which is over 30 years old needs substantial upgrades, at significant cost, and staff say it will likely be demolished.
Yekemi says five employees and a team of volunteers at Hazlehead will move across to Denmore following the closure.
She replaced Somebody Cares Scotland chief executive Brian Taylor in August.
Founders Brian and Jenny Taylor retired from the charity in October, after 22 years.
They had built up a team of 38 staff and over 100 volunteers.
Cleared of wrongdoing by charity watchdog
The Aberdeen charity was cleared of any wrongdoing after a probe into financial irregularities last year.
Several former employees of the charity had raised concerns about how it was spending its funds.
This sparked an inquiry, which started in October 2019, by the Office of Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
However, the charity watchdog said they were now “satisfied” its trustees were “acting with appropriate care and due diligence”, although some recommendations were made.
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