Twice Treasured, a thrift store on St. John’s Road, Pembroke, will close at the end of May, a month shy of its first anniversary.

Operator Danielle Riviere has conceded that the venture has not lived up to expectations.

She said the pre-pandemic idea ran into the Covid-19 stumbling block that led to delays in opening the doors until last July.

Ms Riviere said: “We originally opened it as a business venture to offset some of my parents' expenses. With time we thought we would be able to bring someone in (to run the business).

“My niece (Alicea Davis) has been working there, but as a business it is not sustainable. It’s not worth it.

“We might as well use the space for something else or rent it out to someone else.”

Twice Treasured operated a different business model than other thrift stores. They are not operating as a registered charity.

They purchased clothes from individuals to re-sell in the shop, but gave part proceeds to a charity.

Ms Riviere, a consultant in the non-profit sector, said: “We wanted to help. People often buy things and then just give them away.

“We wanted to offset some of that cost by actually purchasing it.

“We designated the West Indian Association as our charity. But we can’t make it happen like we wanted to. There are so many thrift shops, now.

“When we first had the idea years ago, there were not that many. But by the time we started the renovations on the building and got everything started it was July.

“Things changed. So it is not a business model we will continue. We are recognising that charities are thrift shops to sustain their existence. They are using them to diversify their income.”