Our consumerist culture has taught us that keeping up with fashion trends is far more important than considering the damage discarded clothing can cause to our environment.
It is shocking but true that only 12 per cent of your castoffs make it to being responsibly recycled. Most find their way to landfills where they contribute to polluting the environment.
For Vijaya Josephine Pais, educating people on responsible practices in fashion consumption is essential to ensure a sustainable future. Although the Good Karma Treasure Shop, Vijaya’s thrift store, was birthed out of a personal need to downsize, it is her passion to change the consumerist mindset that fuels the enterprise.
From her time as a flight attendant with Emirates Airlines, Vijaya had collected 97 pairs of shoes!
“I couldn’t find a suitable place to donate them. Options like orphanages and old-age homes wouldn’t have any use for my clothes. That’s when I got a few friends to donate their items too, and we held our first pop-up sale in December 2016, at House of Lloyds, Candolim, with all the money raised going to an orphanage. I continued hosting pop-ups across Goa, raising funds for various NGOs.”
After venturing into photography, writing and digital marketing, in 2014, Vijaya created a Facebook group called Offbeat Goa to share fun events. The main goal was to help the community thrive, support small businesses and create awareness regarding sustainable practices.
The Good Karma Treasure Shop’s first physical store was opened during the initial wave of Covid.
“I had been deeply involved in humanitarian work at the time, which opened my eyes to the immense economic, environmental, and human degradation happening around us. I felt compelled to do something, no matter how small, to help out,” says Vijaya.
Attempting to make the leftover stock from her last sale more accessible, she asked on Offbeat Goa if anyone had space to share. Thus, the shop was run from Gratitude Café in Anjuna for two wonderful years. Growth led to the launch of the Offbeat Goa Space, with the Good Karma Treasure Shop’s 1000 sq ft flagship store, located at Chinvar, opposite Hacienda Da Goa, Anjuna, Vagator.
Vijaya says the entire process of setting up shop was “pure serendipity!”. Surmounting inevitable hurdles, the shop’s amazing all-girl team, with its dedication and creativity, was able to convert a terrace space into a functional store.
She says, “The Good Karma Treasure Shop truly lives up to its name, as every step along the way has felt like a natural and positive progression.”
Vijaya’s business partner Schulen Fernandes, with her impressive background as creative head and chief designer for the Wendell Rodricks label, has been a valuable asset to the Good Karma Treasure Shop.
Manager Sheena Tashi has been with the shop from the first day of opening, making a mark with her skills and dedication in handling operations.
The Good Karma Treasure Shop has pre-loved clothes for women, men and kids, bags, books, accessories, shoes, home décor and anything else that may be useful and in working condition.
The shop operates purely on a donation model, with multiple donation drop-off points, including two shop-in-shops at Medinin, Mapusa and Zeroposro, Panjim, Green Essentials, Socorro, and 7 Short 1 Long, Moira.
“In India, we still face challenges related to the caste and class mindset, but that is gradually changing. We plan to open more stores to make second-hand shopping more accessible to people.”
Vijaya Josephine Pais
Vijaya says, “We accept any items in saleable condition that people no longer have use for, and we kindly ask that donations be pre-washed. This way, we can ensure that everything we offer is ready for its next life while promoting sustainability in our community.”
The shop only donates to Goa-based charities and selects a new NGO to support every month. Among the charities the shop’s team has worked with are Welfare for Animals in Goa, Cat Sanctuary, Sethu Goa, ARZ, Human Touch Foundation, Goa Foundation and many others.
The Good Karma Treasure Shop also promotes these organisations, many of which do not have a strong social media presence.
The future looks good for the Good Karma Treasure Shop with thrift becoming a trending movement globally. Vijaya says, “In India, we still face challenges related to the caste and class mindset, but that is gradually changing. We plan to open more stores to make second-hand shopping more accessible to people.”