Wiltshire homeless charity reopens Amesbury shop
Alabaré's Amesbury Emporium had been shut since the end of March
Last updated 29th Jul 2025
One of Wiltshire's largest charities is boosting its ability to help homeless people with the reopening of its charity shop in Amesbury.
Alabaré has opened the doors of its Amesbury Emporium, on Earls Court Road, for the first time since the end of March.
It will help generate revenue for the charities support services in the South West of England and Wales as the organisation seeks to break the cycle of homelessness, by providing homes, empowering minds and restoring hearts.
Charity Chairman, Malcolm Cassells, said: "It’s an exciting moment, it’s good for Amesbury, and I think it’s also a community facility. It’s something that will enable people to come along, have a chat as they look around. It’s not just about the sales, which we absolutely need, it’s about helping people, supporting them."
Retail and Logistics Manager for the charity, Marge Goymer, told us it's taken a big community effort to get the store ready to re-open.
"It's been very community focussed throughout the refit," she said. "We have had some very generous help from local charities and local businesses. The Men's Shed have done a lot of carpentry work for us, Aspire Defence have come in and done some decoration work and a local flooring company gave us a hugely discounted floor.
"It's really been a labour of love within the community."
Mr Cassells added: "The new store is much lighter, the space is being used better, I think some of the goods we’re selling now are of a higher quality than previously. We’ve worked with local suppliers to get it ready, and we’re very grateful to them as they’ve enabled us to present something which I think is going to be a nice shopping experience for the people that come here.”
The store was officially opened by Mayor of Amesbury, Cllr Dr Monica Devendran.
She said it's a boost to the town: “It’s brilliant, it’s a fantastic asset for the community, there are so many people coming together here, and I’ve heard lots of good things about the wonderful space Alabaré has created.
"It’s great to see the dedicated team of staff, who’ve put in their body, soul, and spirit, going above and beyond to make sure this serves as a wonderful space for the community.
"It will offer an opportunity for volunteers too, and it will be an excellent mental health and wellbeing initiative for the community under one roof."