The Best of Friends Gift Shop was an integral fundraiser for the Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library (FWPL) for 17 years. In 2022 the FWPL Board, due to extenuating circumstances, made a very difficult decision to close the gift shop in November of that year.
The proceeds from the gift shop sales helped to support Winnipeg Public Library programs and special projects, such as ten Family Literacy Playground structures, annual Spring Break programs, Writers-in-Residence, sewing machines in the ideaMill, and puppy reading stools.
The shop in many ways was the face of the Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library. The point-of-sale system was the administrative hub of the organization, managing shop sales, inventory, membership, donations, fundraising, reports, and e-communication.
The shop’s journey started in 2002 when Library management asked the Friends of Winnipeg Public Library to prepare a proposal to operate a gift shop. A major renovation of the Centennial Library was planned, and a gift shop was viewed as an important element. It was a huge challenge for the Friends, but it was also an exciting opportunity.
Friends’ President Susan Fraser and Director of Fundraising Maureen Taunton spearheaded this ambitious fundraising project. Startup grants were provided by the Winnipeg Public Library Board, Winnipeg Foundation and Province of Manitoba. The Best of Friends Gift Shop quietly opened November 2005 in the lobby of the renamed Millennium Library, with the official grand opening in April 2006.
Stay tuned for updates on the Millennium Lobby Redesign, as a donation from Best of Friends Gift Shop will help fund something special.
Read more about our great team of shop volunteers in NOTES APRIL, 2023.
