When life gives you lemons, turn them into lemonade.
Michelle de Villiers, a proud Joburger, has been making the world a better place through her charity initiative - taking “unwanted” items, selling them, and using the proceeds to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate.
Michelle has been running the Junkie Charity Store in Linden for over a decade. The store was originally based in Melville before moving to its current premises two years ago.
Her charity store sells a wide variety of items - furniture, clothing, cutlery, toys, books, stationery, shoes, and more.
Michelle says the inspiration behind her charity store is and always will be “love”.
“I take unwanted things and turn them into something positive,” she says with a smile.
She explains that her clientele are incredibly diverse, and every item that comes through the door tells a story.
“I’ve had things donated from all kinds of people and backgrounds - and many share the stories behind the items. You often get donations from deceased estates, people downscaling, or even someone who found something while cleaning their pool! As you unpack their stuff, you learn about them. It’s almost like forming a little relationship with the donor through their belongings.”
Over the years, Michelle has watched her store grow from strength to strength, helping her build strong relationships with locals, giving products a second life, and bringing hope to others.
“I think when we started, it was fairly new, but it’s exploded. People just love it.”
Michelle works with several organisations, including Joburg Child Welfare, Princess Alice Adoption Home, the Salvation Army Old Age Home, and Hearts of Hope.
“We turn donated stuff into cash for them,” she explains.
For Michelle, running the Junkie Charity Store is about using her time to make a meaningful impact.
“I’ve accepted the fact that we can’t buy time — we can only do so much in a day. But I just keep going, trying to improve all the time, and generate more money for them.”
She adds that being in Linden has been a blessing.
“They’ve embraced us phenomenally well. I still see my old clients from Melville and lots of new ones. We’ve settled in nicely. The culture and atmosphere around Linden is amazing. It was a big step to move after so many years, but I’m pleased - we’ve done the right thing.”
Michelle’s wish is to see more people donating instead of discarding items, because, as she says, “everything deserves a second chance - humans and things”.
She ends with a reminder that perfectly sums up her mission:
“What is rubbish to you can be a necessity to someone else. There’s a lot of need out there, and we’re only touching the tip of the iceberg with the work we do.”
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