With seven retail outlets across the Waikato, Waikato Hospice op shops already raise about $2 million annually.
And now the manager of Hospice's new megastore, Sharyn Cawood, has big plans for the megastore on Lake Rd and hopes to establish outlets in Matamata and Thames.
Sharyn said her vision was to turn the warehouse area of the megastore into one giant sales floor.
A behind-the-scenes tour of the warehouse reveals it will become a mecca for treasure hunters.
Oddities big and small were everywhere, from aged rocking chairs to pianos, Welsh dressers, cedar wood chests, turntables and a veritable library of second hand books.
Sharyn said preparations were expected to take three months, at which point customers would be able to access the warehouse, listen to the large collection of vinyls with a coffee, and even browse in the car park on sunny days.
The warehouse was already a well-oiled machine with a pick-up/drop-off service, shelving that stretched halfway to the roof, and a man called Hans, who Sharyn recruited from his stall at Tamahere Market, running the sorting area.
Armed with a knowledge of antiques and collectibles, Hans spends his time in a small room behind the shop and hunts for treasures.
He said he had seen all manner of treasures.
"We've had a genuine old turtle shell, English porcelain, quality crystal - all very collectable," he said.
As well as stocking the megastore upstairs, the warehouse also supplies the other six shops - Hamilton's Va Va Voom Boutique on River Rd, that stocks designer label clothing and vintage decor and crockery, the Victoria St and Clyde St Shops; and, in the wider Waikato, the Te Awamutu, Cambridge and Morrinsville shops.
Warehouse manager Andy said they received all sorts, and even donations people didn't mean to make.
"A lady came in with boxes of shoes and in one box were two beautiful rings - one had four large diamonds in it."
The team managed to catch the woman, who was browsing around the shop, and gave the rings back.
"They were her mother's rings, her daughter had hidden them in a shoe box!
"We were lucky she was still here."
He said there was also always money left in pockets, often in different currencies from all over the world.
"Occasionally we get a painting that's worth $400 or $500, we have special people who check everything," he said.
Sharyn said she was trying to get experts in every field to ensure every item sold was safe, working and clean. There is a group of ladies who wash all the linen before it hits the shop floor, two electricians - Rod and John - check every lamp, heater, air conditioner or other appliance that lands in front of them, and there was even a sound technician to test the many stereos and radios.
All the CDs are checked and priced by Ross, who used to run Tracs music store on the corner of Ward and Victoria Sts.
The megastore moved into the Lake Rd premises at Waitangi weekend, and Sharyn said there had not been 15 minutes since opening when there was not someone in the store.
She said the shop had just started opening on a Saturday to allow customers to browse at the weekend.
"We get people waiting outside the doors at 10am and we have to ask people to leave at four."
Sharyn said the work doesn't end at simply collecting money for Hospice Waikato.
"There are layers of being able to give service to people in need. We give things to the women's refuge, blankets to the zoo, recycling is another huge part, and we also get to improve the wellbeing of the volunteers.
"Most of our volunteers are 65 or 70 years old. They want to retire but they don't want to stop doing things. There's some real skills amongst them," she said.
Volunteer services manager Karen Mansfield said a total of 640 volunteers worked throughout the organisation, with 260 helping in the seven retail outlets, not including the 30 additional volunteers who would be needed for the new warehouse area or staff required for the other two new prospective locations in Matamata and Thames.
"Volunteers play such an important role in the retail arm of our business, from customer service, pricing goods, washing crockery and processing of clothing ready for sale," Karen said.
"The sales from our stores goes directly to the care of our patients and we are so grateful to each and everyone of the volunteers."
She said volunteers donating about 53,000 hours to the retail outlets annually.
"We are selling around 130,000 items of clothing and over 350,000 bric-a-brac items - all of the goods having been donated by our wonderful community," she said.
The Hospice Shops are seeking donations of furniture and they can collect items if you can't deliver. If you would like Hospice to collect items of furniture or even clear a property completely for you, phone their Collection Service on 843 8848 or after hours on 027 471 9652. The warehouse is open Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm. They are looking for beds, bedroom furniture, chairs, tables, lamps, sofas, sideboards, cupboards, wardrobes, household items electrical appliances and any other saleable goods.