Grand Opening of Whitestone Shop Announced
Save the date and join us on Thursday 23rd May!
We are thrilled to confirm that the official opening day for our much-anticipated shop and café in Whitestone will be 23rd May 2024.
From 10am, the doors will open at the site of the former I&JL Brown furniture showroom and workshop, which has been transformed over the last few months into a vibrant community-focused destination.
Located just outside Hereford, this exciting shop will be filled with pre-loved and upcycled items, including fashion, furniture, books, and children’s toys. In addition, we have created a beautiful café, with hot and cold drinks, home-made cakes and snacks on offer, fun play spaces that are perfect for little ones and big kids, and their first ever bridal and occasionwear department.
‘We’re so proud to be opening this store, which we believe will be the largest charity shop in the Midlands. Every purchase will help our patients and families get the care and support they deserve and need, and having a fantastic new space to buy affordable pre-loved items will be great for the whole community.
‘We want the site to be a real experience to visit, with something for everyone. We have made lots of adjustments to the site to make sure it’s fully accessible, including redesigning the steps, installing a passenger lift, and adding an accessible toilet and baby changing facilities. Â
‘We want to thank everyone who’s been involved in making the vision for this site become a reality. It’s taken a huge amount of hard work and commitment. We can’t wait to open the doors so please put 23rd May in your diary or come and visit us across the May Bank Holiday weekend.”
Rachel Jones – Income Generation, Marketing & Communications Director
About the Shop & Cafe
The main shopping area, located on the first floor of the site will officially open on Thursday 23rd May 2024 at 10am. From this date, shoppers can explore over 14,000 sq. ft of shopping space, with great fashion, furniture, upcycled goods, books, media and more to discover. Whitestone is perfect for visiting with family or friends, or just to grab a coffee and cake whilst having a read or checking emails.
Additional features include:
- The Play Corner – an area for babies and toddlers to enjoy
- Café – serving hot and cold drinks, home-made cakes, and snacks
- Bridal & Occasionwear department – with vintage and unworn wedding dresses, accessories and more
- The Shed – a seasonal shopping zone
The shop and café will be open 7 days per week, 9am – 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am – 4pm on Sundays and bank holidays.
Accessibility: the entrance to Whitestone has been updated for better accessibility, with redesigned steps and a passenger lift. The car park has blue badge parking bays and an allocated area for adult and child parking. Toilets, located next to the café, include an accessible toilet and baby changing facilities.
Our Donation Centre
The Donation Centre, which opened earlier this year is located at the rear of the Whitestone site. Currently open four days a week for donations, the centre will move to 7-day opening once the café and shop opens.
The next phase
We still have fantastic plans underway to further utilise this incredible building for the benefit of St Michael’s Hospice and our community. This includes the development of an Education and Training Centre, where we hope to continue to build on our mission to train others to deliver excellence in palliative care, and the introduction of workshops and groups for members of the public to join.
For regular updates about Whitestone and all of our other great shops, make sure you are following our Shops on Facebook and Instagram.