Need a new sari? A new non-profit Surrey thrift store has you covered

Saris, lenghas, even kirpans — a new Surrey thrift store is a treasure trove for South Asian clothing and decor.

East West Thrift Store is the brainchild of Jas Gill, who says her new store fills a void in the city's secondhand market: she and her friends realized there was nowhere for them to take their used formal wear.

"We all thought, you know, there really wasn't a place where we could take our nicer, newer, gently used suits, saris and lenghas and even cultural items," Gill told The Early Edition's Bal Brach.

"I think people, once they're done, recognize that, you know, this is beautiful and it needs to go somewhere — and that's what we do."

Gill said her store offers suits for $5 to $25 that would normally retail for anywhere between $50 and $300.

Fashion consultation included

Located on Scott Road at 94th Avenue, the store is completely non-profit and run by volunteers. All proceeds go to a charity of the volunteers' choosing — currently the Surrey Memorial Hospital.

In addition to sorting, pricing and selling the clothes, Gill said her volunteers are happy to provide fashion advice as well.

"Our customers have come in and said, oh, I have a wedding to go to ... and they have so many questions," Gill said. "What jewelry goes with an outfit, what they should be wearing, a head scarf or not — we're happy to do that."

Gill said that, in her experience, thrift stores often have a negative connotation in the South Asian community — but only two weeks after opening, the store is already approaching its capacity for donations.

"Our community has gotten so much bigger now," Gill said. "There really was a need for this sort of service."

With files from Bal Brach and CBC Radio One's The Early Edition.