Meet Manoela, the Shop Manager, and Joanna, the Assistant Shop Manager, from Streatham Hill about what it's like working for Royal Trinity Hospice shops.

Manoela, Shop Manager

How long have you been managing the Streatham Hill shop? What were you doing before?

Since July last year. Before that, I was Shop Manager in Chiswick for nine months.

What do you enjoy about working in a Royal Trinity Hospice shop?

The customers, the objective of making money for a good cause, and being able to help the planet and the cause at the same time.

What do you think makes your shop unique?

Streatham has a big sense of community. This shop has been a charity shop for a long time, then it got this refit, and I think it’s just the perfect mix of being a community-based shop and a trendy destination shop. I always try to make sure the mix of product reflects that

What’s your favourite, go-to colour story for visual merchandising?

I like a mix of cream, beige, yellows, and orange, but I also love a navy, red and white- I think it’s so classic and timeless. At the moment, my favourite is this green, white, and beige, starting to brighten things up a bit. But usually, I’ll be dressed in all black!

What are your interests outside of work?

I really like playing video games! During lockdown it saved my mental health. I was a DJ in Brazil, so I really like music as well and playing with music. And art- when I’m off I’m either playing video games or visiting museums.

What would be your dream item to pull out of a donation bag?

It would be a 90s built-in corset dress by Vivienne Westwood…size 14! If I put it out there in the universe maybe it will come!

Joanna, Assistant Shop Manager

How long have you been an Assistant Manager at the Streatham Hill shop? What were you doing before?

I’ve been Streatham Hill’s Assistant Manager since September last year, so not long. But I’ve been employed by Royal Trinity Hospice since November 2020. I was a Mobile Manager before this.

What do you enjoy about working in a Royal Trinity Hospice shop?

The main thing is the charity. That’s always in my mind. It seems that working for a charity, everyone has the same goal; we’re like a big family here. And I’ve also done lots of learning in this job. I used to be a store manager for a luxury fashion brand, working just in the commercial side of things. But here, I’m involved with many things I hadn’t done before like VM, stock selection, pricing. I like having more control in that sense.

Which role do you enjoy doing the most, e.g., sorting, being on till, visual merchandising?

I like visual merchandising. I’m quite a visual person, I did a course in photography, so this is my passion. Also, contact with people- I’ve been working in customer service for 30-almost years!

What’s your favourite, go-to colour story for visual merchandising?

So, I like challenges. For example, when I heard that the latest stories were going to be Valentine’s Day and London Fashion
Week, I thought, okay, I’ll go crazy! I went for a palette that didn’t really match, like purple and orange, pink and red. But it worked! Customers commented that the window display brought them into the shop.

What are your interests outside of work?

I mentioned photography, and I like nature; I photograph a lot of flowers. I’m not very confident in street photography but I’m starting to get into that as well. I also like Macrame and exploring that craft. I find it calming and meditative.

Thank you, Joanna and Manoela, for sharing with us and for welcoming us into your beautiful shop!