This is one of the Canadian CED Network’s CED in Manitoba Profiles Project produced 50 stories of Manitoba communities working to build fairer and stronger local economies, reduce poverty, and revitalize neighbourhoods.
Doesn’t everyone want to look good? Winnipeg’s North End Women’s Centre (NEWC) recognized this basic element of human dignity and created a social enterprise — a second-hand clothing boutique called the Up Shoppe.
Following their modest basement beginnings in 2001, the shop moved to a new location when NEWC purchased and transformed a vacant, deteriorating building into a vibrant community meeting place. The business was constructed to support the retail revitalization of the North End, provide local women with access to affordable quality clothing, generate revenue for the Centre’s services, and create job and training opportunities for women with barriers to employment.
