General News
8 May, 2026
Community-run op shop opens in Dunolly
Dunolly Community Thrift Shop opened on Dunolly's main street last week to a waiting crowd.
A community-run op shop has opened on Dunolly’s main street last Friday, bringing new life to the small country town.
Dunolly Community Thrift Shop is a not-for-profit run by local volunteers hoping to give back to the community in more ways than one.
They opened their doors on Friday, May 1, to a crowd already gathering for the launch.
It was the culmination of five local volunteers work who took an idea from six months ago and made it reality over three weeks of work.
The organisation’s president, Sheryl Howard, said the op shop will bring new life to the town.
“The streets better having this [shop] full with us than being empty,” she said.
Their hope is the op shop will add to the list of things to do in Dunolly, supporting nearby businesses.
It already seems to be working with many of those attending the launch also making their way over to the local bakery for a coffee.
Dunolly’s Jackie Fankhauser was among them after buying a jacket and some DVDs.
She said Dunolly needs less doors closing and more businesses opening.
“It’s just something else to have a look at and I love op shopping anyway,” she said.
Committee member Sharron Fitzgerald said there was a need locally for another op shop due to the volume of donations.
“We just wanted to do something practical that gives back to the community,” she said.
Their goal is to offer quality items, from clothing through to tools, at a reasonable price.
“There’s people that need, and the prices are affordable, and even the people who want, the prices are still affordable. That’s what we’re trying to do,” she said.
Ms Fitzgerald said the thrift shop’s profits will be put back into the community through a small community grant system.
She said any organisation that needs something, such as equipment, will be able to apply.
“At the end of the day, it’s public money we’re handling and we take that seriously. We do want to be transparent,” she said.
The launch was the end of a sometimes “overwhelming” effort according to Ms Fitzgerald.
Ms Howard said the volunteers took a moment to reflect on opening something new Thursday night.
“We finished everything, paper down, ordered takeaway tea from the pub and sat there, ate our tea, and had a yap,” she said.
“We kept saying to each other well done.”
The pair agreed that what success looks like is what they saw Friday morning — people coming through their door and buying something.
“There’s something for everybody and, with our tagline, it’s worth a look inside,” Ms Fitzgerald said.