A COVID-19 lockdown wardrobe clear-out led to a thriving Op shop for the Manly Woman of the Year
Manly’s Melissa Burgess decided to clear out her wardrobe during one of the COVID-19 lockdowns – along with many more of us it seems.
“I remember I went to drop it off at a charity shop and they were just completely inundated,” says Melissa. “They were turning things away and I thought it was terrible, that amount of waste. I looked at everything I had, and I thought, ‘What if I open something that’s like an independent op shop and give the (proceeds) to charity?’”
Finding a premises in Manly wasn’t easy as everything in Manly was ‘super expensive,’ but she opened Op for Change at 199 Pittwater Road in July 2022. They moved to 41 Sydney Road, Manly in January this year (on the old Domino’s spot).
When she first opened, Melissa wondered whether she’d even make the rent, let alone be able to donate any money to charities, so her first donation of $10,000 to Community Northern Beaches in February 2023 ‘blew her away.’ Op for Change has donated over $60,000 to local charities and community organisations since it opened.
People often use an op shop as a ‘bit of a dumping ground.’ But Melissa says she’s fortunate in that she receives mostly respectful donations and doesn’t have to deal with rubbish that people dump at the doorstep.
“I’m really proud of the fact that we have virtually zero waste in the shop,” Melissa says. “We have a little tiny bag of rubbish each week. And I find creative uses for everything that comes in.”
Melissa recycles textiles that are not good enough for sale, makes toy lamps from broken toys and hosts upcycled jewellery workshops for any broken jewellery donated. She sends any excess clothes to the Remote Shop Project, more to Upparel clothing recycling in Victoria, which she pays for, but deems it a necessary expense as she refuses to bin it all. Op for Change is also a recycling partner for CandleXchange and takes empty candle containers.
“I like to think of myself as being a bit of a sustainability hub,” says Melissa. “I have to find a balance between not creating too much extra work for ourselves, but I also think that going a little bit above and beyond makes us a bit different.”
Local Manly Woman of the Year 2025 award winner with MP James Griffin
Melissa is always looking for volunteers to fill a four-hour shift. “If someone signs up, we send them the link to the roster, and you just pop your name down when you can. There’s no requirement on having to do a regular spot,” Melissa explains.
The Sydney Road rent is a tad more than Melissa wanted to pay, but she has her fingers crossed that the store’s central location will make up for it, but if people want to support Op for Change in other ways, she says that every dollar counts.
Op for Change is launching Create and Connect, a regular monthly session where locals can connect over a cuppa while working on a personal craft project. Another of Melissa’s initiatives is the Sustainable Trail where sustainability-lovers can follow a trail map of pre-love retail or eco-retailers around Manly.
Melissa was delighted to be awarded Manly Woman of the Year, but says she couldn’t have done it without the help of friends, Gini and Jacqui.
She says it’s the first time she has worked in Manly and has loved getting to know the community.
“That’s been one of the most delightful things that I never anticipated,” she says.
