Taking over the concept from St. Andrew's United Church twenty-five years ago, the Cochrane Activettes storefront now rocks 2,465 sq ft in a plaza off of Historic Main Street.

Jan Tracy, the President of the Cochrane Activettes, says it has been an incredible journey watching the Clothesline evolve over the last quarter of a century. Moving a few times over the twenty-five-year period to keep up with demand, the store continues to do exceptionally well. "When Bike Brothers moved, this was an opportunity we just couldn't pass up, and as you can see, the store is flourishing."

Accepting new and used clothes from all sexes and ages, the best part is all the proceeds go right back into supporting the Cochrane community. "In Cochrane, we donate money from the cradle 'Cochrane Pregnancy Care' right up to the grave like the 'Hospice.' There are gazillion things that are financed by this store."

ClotheslineJust a small sample of some initiatives that dollars from the Cochrane Clothesline support.

With more store space, Tracy has not only seen an increase in donations but also in clientele who regularly come in to shop. "One of the things that has dramatically happened since we moved to this location is the increase in the number of men that come into the store, which is nice. We have expanded our men's section a lot, and it is really neat to see so many men come in and do their shopping."

Although you may have noticed bins around town that accept unwanted clothing, the majority of those bins go to support other initiatives than the Clothesline."The only place you can drop off for us is here at the store. When you see those bins that are called the 'Clothesline' around town, they are actually collected for diabetes. Not that people aren't already generous, but we can always use more donations."

Besides looking for more clothing to repurpose, Tracy says they also would love more volunteers. While the store does have a few paid part-time employees, they would not be as successful without the help from the sixty volunteers they have on their roster. "Volunteers are the backbone of this."

Another thing to note is that although profits go to support initiatives in the community, we also try to keep our prices as low as we can so that the people that need to use our store for financial reasons can. You can get things here, like jeans, for instance, at a much lower price than Value Village, Goodwill, or any other stores. We have people from all over coming into the store."

The Clothesline gets some pretty fantastic items, shares Tracy, and a good selection. "We have a lot of designer items coming in and even get some specialty items like a heritage wedding dress in. We have even had men's Armani suits come in."

Despite the fact that the Clothesline has been in operation for a quarter of a century, there are still many residents who are unaware of the store's existence. "We are always looking for more. Extra people and extra clothes, never hurt."
As far as what Tracy hopes the Clotheslines attains over the next twenty-five years, 'more of the same,' she shares. "I would like to see that more people get into the habit of recycling. I believe there is still a stigma attached to used clothing, and I would like for that not to be there. I think it's valuable not always to buy the newest and best, but rather keep things going through our community."

Beginning tomorrow (October 19) through until Monday (October 21), the Clothesline will be offering 50% off of everything in the entire store. "There is going to be a tent outside, popcorn, lots of neat things here, and lots of people."

The Cochrane Clothesline is currently open seven days a week for both donation drop off as well as shopping. If you are donating, make sure items are clean and in good repair, and Tracy suggests to place clothing in bags or boxes.

  • Monday 10-6
  • Tuesday 10-6
  • Wednesday 10-6
  • Thursday 10-7
  • Friday 10-6
  • Saturday 10-5
  • Sunday 12-5

In 2018, the Clothesline snagged third place as Cochrane's best women's clothing store. If you haven't been into the Clothesline drop by and check out the bright, clean store, as you may never know what treasures you could find. You can find the Clotesline at 122 4 Ave W.