There Is Only One Way: How a New Thrift Store in Africa Preaches the Word of God
There’s only one way for a 165-year-old organization to adapt.
The Salvation Army is a tribe of passionate pastors, social workers, justice warriors, and community change agents who spread the gospel of Jesus Christ by meeting human needs in His name without discrimination. They respond so well to crises, to daily needs, and to the individuals who come through their doors with no other recourse. The Salvation Army around the world is trying to become more sustainable–at the country level with national fundraising, partnerships, redevelopment of long-held assets; at the local community level with social enterprise bakeries, affordable apartments for female students, soccer fields for hourly rentals. Creating more resources to do more mission.
There’s only one way to create a new business.
We know that we’re new to this kind of work, finding ways to support our mission to the most vulnerable by blending in business principles and entrepreneurial thinking that can help leverage opportunities that don’t pull us from our call, but also empower us to do more. We can copy other models, other NGOs, but will their learnings transfer to this specific neighborhood in Cape Town? Will it work within the structure and culture of our church?
We can have a vision for upscaling our current “rummage sale” model of selling second-hand clothing. We can sort donations better, tag them all, add differentiated pricing based on value, and display them neatly on racks and shelves. But if the people enter on the grand opening and sweep all the items onto the floor to rummage through the pile because that’s what they’re used to, what should we try next? We can buy a new truck to collect donation and deliver large household goods as they’re purchased. But what if the roof falls in and the landlord is unmotivated to repair it? What if the truck driver crashes the first day and disappears? (Yes, this all happened.) What do we do when our suppliers suddenly stop calling us back? How do we coordinate this between Cape Town, and Johannesburg, and Washington DC via online calls when South Africa has half-day long rolling blackouts?
No, there is no one proven way to help an established and driven organization adapt its methods to be more sustainable. There’s certainly no one way to create a new business. There isn’t even a trustworthy or guaranteed method by which to learn what you know you don’t know, let alone pivot for all the impending surprise challenges.
“There is only one way”
Just these words, nothing more, are written on the back wall of the store, right behind the counter, impossible to ignore in their placement and solitude. There’s no explanation or QR code or logo. Just the words. And this is purposeful. You are meant to ask, first in your head, and then to someone there, “what does that mean?” “why is that there?” They were placed by the Corps Officer (also store manager) Mpumelelo Dathini, who will tell you,
“because this is a place of mission. We want people to ask about those curious words, the only branding in the store, so that we can tell them about the one way, one truth and one eternal life that is Jesus. We’re never not living our mission, even when serving customers or stocking shelves.”
It’s true. They are constantly living the mission.
On the day of the grand opening of the newly designed and renovated store, with special music, city councilors in attendance, a ribbon cutting, and a line of customers out and around the street-front side of the store, an entirely different line was forming at the second entrance on the other side of the building. From the wide gate and small courtyard, volunteers and church members were providing more than 200 hot meals to anyone who was hungry: transients, day laborers, some battling addictions, others without houses or places to sleep. They were inviting them to come back for help anytime, to come to the Salvation Army corps just down the block, to join them on Sunday, to let them pray over their concerns.
It was an elemental manifestation of the sustainable mission: generating resources with a social enterprise that can be transformed into direct service delivery for those that have no other support.
Back to the first statements.
There’s no one way to start a new business, but there are some good ways that we’re learning.
No decisions without first testing assumptions, even if this costs money. A $500 loss to learn how to invest $5k was the price of tuition. No plan can beat actual proof. Move fast, risk small.
Pilot everything in its smallest viable iteration, readjust, then scale fast. If you haven’t been surprised or embarrassed at least once by something you didn’t expect, you’ve assuredly missed something.
Based on the first 6 months of successful operations, we’re already planning to open up a warehouse receiving/distribution center and then 1-2 more locations at other local corps.
There’s no one way for a 165 year old organization to adapt. But there are some principles we’re promoting.
Cleave to your mission and purpose, not your traditions. Meet the needs of today, today, not in the style of yesterday.
Don’t be scared to learn new things, or to fail. You’ll never grow if not.
The Lieutenant Dathinis are not serving in a new army. We’re not changing who we are. We’re learning how to adapt in order to continually provide excellent service and share the love of Christ.