Erina Fair’s newest social enterprise: Fairhaven Pop-Up Shop
Come into Erina Fair’s newest pop-up store and fossick through the wonderful handmade homewares and furniture. Fairhaven Shopping opened in March and already hundreds of happy shoppers are discovering treasures at great prices.
Products in the shop are carefully selected from generous donations from people on the Central Coast. Shopper Susan was very happy to discover it. She says, “I came into the pop-up shop and wasn’t looking for anything, I was simply browsing and seeing what Fairhaven was all about. To my surprise, there was a set of glasses and they were exactly what I was looking for. Six gold-rimmed glasses for $10 and I was set to go home and use them that night. A wonderful way to shop, sustainable and supporting a great organisation on the Coast. Thank you Fairhaven, I’ll be back.”
Some products showcased at the popup shop are created and turned out by the talented folk at ReCreate, a supported employment enterprise that started at Fairhaven in 2016. The team build, reduce waste, and provide much-needed work options for our Central Coast community. Products are all created from preloved, reclaimed and donated materials. All products are made onsite by supported employees and the entire ReCreate team. They use up-cycled pallets, timber offcuts and the odd repurposed piece of furniture. ReCreate is also equipped to build custom made-toorder pieces.
Fairhaven began as a school in 1962, formed by a group of Central Coast parents who came together with a single goal: to provide education options for their children with intellectual disabilities who were unable to access mainstream schools. Nearly 60 years later, the organisation has flourished into the only disability service on the Central Coast that offers all three support options; supported employment, accommodation, and community activities. The organisation is committed to providing community participation, social skills, employment opportunities, accommodation and living supports, to ensure that people with a disability on the Central Coast can live lives that they aspire to.
Fairhaven is the Central Coast’s longest existing not-for-profit organisation. It operates a Shopping Village at its Point Clare site (a space that was previously occupied by the 1962 school). Additionally, they have two Supported Employment Enterprise business divisions, Fairhaven CoPack in Tuggerah and Point Clare, and an upcycling re-use hub, Fairhaven ReCreate at Point Clare. The shop is opposite the Reject Shop at the Woolworths end of the centre and is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9am to 5:30pm, Thursdays 9am to 7pm, Saturdays 9am to 5pm and Sundays 9am to 4pm.
Fairhaven welcomes donations and is dependent on the generosity of community-minded people. It could not continue its work without the many people who volunteer. A variety of positions are available to suit a range of skills and interests and even a few hours each month would make a difference. With over 50 volunteers at Fairhaven they are always keen to meet more.
Find out more at https://www.fairhaven.org.au/. Contact us on (02) 4349 5500.
