When Jack Prince was homeless for almost seven years, he relied on a support system that helped him rebuild his life.
Now, years later, he is part of the support system for others, offering Calgarians affordable clothing and compassion through his small business and community outreach.
Prince opened The Thrift Store on Acadia Drive in January 2023, aiming to make thrifting accessible again.
Nearly everything in the store is priced at $5 or less—a choice that he describes as a “personal sacrifice” to keep clothing inexpensive for those who need it most.
Prince dedicates time once a week to feeding and clothing the homeless, especially in lower-income neighbourhoods like Forest Lawn.
Along with using store funds and community donations collected throughout the week, he ensures that essential items, including blankets, jackets, and warm meals, reach those who need them most.
Prince made his community outreach services possible through the foundation of The Thrift Store. What began as a place for affordable second-hand clothing has grown into a hub of care and connection for Calgary’s most vulnerable residents.
The Calgary Journal’s Darlene Aquino sat down with Prince recently to ask him about his store and how it intends to give back to Calgary.
Editor’s note: Our interview was edited for length and clarity.
Darlene Aquino: What inspired you to start The Thrift Store and create what it is today?
Jack Prince: You know, I love thrifting at heart, and I feel like the other thrift stores don’t align with my thrifting values anymore. The prices are outrageous. Where the money goes is outrageous. I feel like the level of deception in the thrift store industry is outrageous, and people need to ask more questions about that stuff. So for me, the only conclusion that I had, if I want to change this, if I want to make an impact, my only option is to open up a store where I have full control over everything. Prices where the money goes, if there is any money left over, so that was my motivation to open up this door is just keep thrifting alive the way that I see things. But if we can at least get one Canadian chain-owned thrift store going again and give back to the communities, that would be amazing.
You’ve kept your prices low despite pressure to raise them. What drives that commitment to affordability?
I grew up thrifting, so I want to keep it affordable for everybody. I don’t want it just to be affordable for the select few who can afford $20 pants. I want it to be affordable for low-income individuals who need to shop like this. I’m not worried about resellers whatsoever. I have so many donations coming in, that I allow resellers to come in. They’re part of the business. They help me grow any form of sales is beneficial to the company, they don’t take a chunk away from sales, and they don’t hurt the business in any way, shape or form. But at the same time, I can’t let them affect what I’m doing at the end of the day. I have to keep these prices standard, and I have to keep them affordable because there are people out there who can’t afford anything right now. I strongly believe that if I do the right thing, the right things will start to happen.
What does your outreach work, such as feeding and clothing unhoused Calgarians, mean to you personally?
It has a special place in my heart—it really does, because I’ve been unhoused before. I was homeless for almost seven years when I was a teen. There are a lot of people doing outreach work right now, but at the same time, they just need somebody to talk to. They need somebody that they can connect with. They need somebody who treats them on a human level because a lot of these unhoused individuals feel like they’re nothing. They feel like they belong there. They feel like they’ll never leave. And one person can impact that entire mindset, and if I’m doing all this outreach work, and I affect one person, it’s gonna be worth it. If all of this work is just for one person, it’s gonna be worth it.
As a business that gives back, what have you learned about generosity and sustainability along the way?
If you’re doing it right, there’s not much money in it. My dream for this store is to grow and expand, to open up more avenues to people who can’t afford this stuff. I would love to have a store over in the low-income areas, naturally affecting the way that I see it. But with the way that the store is going, it’s doable, maybe in a couple of years. I’m always trying to change, and I’m always trying to keep what’s working, throw away what’s not working. But eventually, my dream is to have stores in low-income areas and offer this service to people who truly need it.
Looking ahead, what do you hope The Thrift Store will continue to stand for in Calgary, and what’s your vision for the future?
Cheap prices, affordable prices. So many thrift stores are so caught up in what happens with the money at the end of the day. Where does this money go? How can we make the public feel like this money is benefiting the community in a certain way? But I take the opposite stance. I want immediate prices to be affordable because that can make the most impact on people. If I keep it cheap and affordable, to me, that’s thrifting. I’ve had items in this store worth a couple of hundred dollars, and I know they’re worth a couple of hundred dollars, but I’ll sell them for thrift store prices because that’s truly what I believe in.
That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do Forest Lawn eventually as well—that’s where we do outreach work in, and I would love to be able to offer a service to any homeless person that comes in, where I give them clothing whenever they need it. If they need a blanket, come into the store, and I’ll give them a blanket. If they need a pair of pants, if they need a shirt, I’ll supply them with whatever they need if I have it available. For me, that’s where the magic is really gonna start to happen. I want to be always cheap and affordable. People come in all the time telling me that I should raise my prices, and I have to look out for myself. I believe in sacrifice, and for me, this is my sacrifice that I’m going through right now. I’m definitely well below the poverty line right now, myself, but that’s my sacrifice, and I believe that if I make the right sacrifices, this store can help people in so many ways.
