Celebrating the 50th anniversary of recycled goods might seem an unlikely excuse for a party, but the band of faithful organisers and volunteers behind the Warwick Academy Clothing Mart don?t see it that way ? particularly when so many retailers have closed their doors over the past half-century, and they are still doing a roaring trade with long lines of clients queuing impatiently twice a year for the doors to open.

And when they finally do, it is to a treasure trove of quality goods, properly sorted, nicely arranged, and in the case of clothing hung by type and size ? and all at well below market value. A bargain hunter?s paradise, in fact. The Clothing Mart concept was brought to Bermuda by Pamela Kempe, who with her friend Jane Trimingham was familiar with a similar operation in the United States.

In fact, Mrs. Kempe?s mother volunteered at a clothing mart run by doctors? wives in her home town of Darien, Connecticut, from which funds benefited the local hospital.

So in October, 1956 Mrs. Kempe and Mrs. Trimingham joined forces with friends Rosemary Collier, Lady Eileen Sharpe and Mary Godet, and held their first sale in a now-demolished building next to Darrell?s Wharf ? a building which Mrs. Kempe remembers as having a leaky roof, necessitating covering up everything in case of rain, as well as having to be fumigated to kill all the spiders and roaches before they could even begin to set up shop.

Then, as now, the goal was to raise money for Warwick Academy, and the first cheque was for ?100. The concept was a success, and after a few sales at the same location, the Clothing Mart outgrew itself and moved first to the Freemasons? Hall in Hamilton and then to the Warwick Academy hall.

Today, all sales are held in the school?s Phoebe Purvis Memorial Hall, which is adjacent to the swimming pool and entered from Morgan?s Road.

From the very beginning rules and guidelines were set down which remain in force today.

With rare exceptions all items are sold on consignment, and everything must be new or in excellent condition. No broken zippers, missing buttons, stains, tears, broken or missing parts get past the eagle eyes of the volunteers who carefully sort through the mountains of submitted goods before they go on sale.

?Our motto is, ?Bring it in as you would wish to buy it?,? long-serving committee member (and oldest member) Ms Lynn Fisher says.

There are two Warwick Academy Clothing Marts per year: Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter, and because they are seasonal, out-of-season clothing is not accepted because it won?t sell.

As a rule, donated clothing must be in new or in pristine condition. Similarly, donated shoes must be new or like new.

With the passing years the variety of goods on sale has also grown until today, in addition to clothing, it is possible to find everything from sporting goods to household items, toys, games, unopened toiletries, linens, lingerie, china, silver, small appliances in good working order, school uniforms and more.

Proud of the Warwick Academy Clothing Mart?s long and successful track record, founder member Lady Sharpe notes that today, while some of the behind-the-scenes methods have changed, the watchword remains keeping expenditures low and revenues high.

?We stored up paper bags all year, borrowed wire hangers from the dry cleaners, and racks made by galvanised pipe. It has always been a good, practical charity.?

Mrs. Kempe remembers the days when price tags were hand-threaded with string in advance ? a long, tedious job which she cleverly got her own children and their friends to do, with rewards and prizes as incentives.

Today, the 15-strong committee has plenty of plastic hangers, thanks to Trimingham?s closure; recycled plastic bags have replaced paper ones, and proper clothing racks are also the norm, as are changing rooms with mirrors ? with volunteers keeping an eye out for potential theft. There are also modern price tags which cannot torn off or changed.

In fact, committee members are proud to note that their expenses are still minimal.

While yesterday?s volunteers spent countless hours logging in consignees? goods, coding, labelling and pricing them, now consignees are given kits and must label, price and identify their own clothing.

As always, they are encouraged to keep prices reasonable.

Volunteers still do the pricing on donated items however, following guidelines suggested by the organising committee.

The way the system works, consignees receive 60 percent of the sale price, with the Clothing Mart retaining the other 40 percent, which goes to the school.

Consignees can also indicate whether or not they want back unsold items.

If the answer is no, these are set aside for the grand finale: a $3-a-bag, one hour sale, when all left-over items are eagerly snapped up by the waiting crowd ? even items which won?t fit into a bag.

The Fall/Winter sale is the bigger of the two fund-raisers because warmer clothing fetches higher prices.

When it comes to men?s clothing, Mrs. Neil Kempe, a former long-serving committee member, urges more men to attend the sales because they will be truly surprised at the quality of what is on offer.

?We get beautiful suits, blazers, shirts, jackets, trousers and even tuxedos, and they really are terrific bargains ? the best bargains in Bermuda, in fact,? she says.

Which reminds Mrs. Kempe that, while today?s shoppers are savvy and egalitarian, it wasn?t always so. ?I remember when we had the early sales the Americans, who were used to that sort of thing back home, would come and buy, but the British wouldn?t.?

Indeed, it seems that there was even a whiff of snobbery among the early shoppers, but today they come from all walks of life, many of them shopping for clothing to send to needy families and communities abroad.

Of course, when it comes to recycled goods on a small island like Bermuda, there is the possibility of seeing one?s clothes on someone else, such as the businessman who was lunching with a friend and who admired the very attractive shirt he was wearing.

?My wife bought it at the Clothing Mart,? the businessman said proudly.

?I know,? replied his companion. ?Those are my initials on the pocket.?

Behind the scenes committee members and volunteers work extremely hard over several weeks to prepare for each sale, many of them having been associated with the fundraiser for decades.

Apart from the satisfaction of a job well done, volunteers with six hours or more of service become eligible to shop at the worker?s sale, while those with ten hours or more can purchase one item prior to the worker?s sale, which takes place the day before the official opening.

Over the years, the Warwick Academy Clothing Mart has raised in excess of $250,000 for the school, with some donations being in cash while other funds go to such diverse projects as computers, the privatisation capital campaign, the tennis court, swimming pool, reception room furnishings, school and office equipment, fire extinguishers, lawnmowers and most recently the refurbishment of classroom 21 ? to the total surprise and delight of the relevant teacher when school re-opened last month. Each sale also generates a specific sum for the school?s scholarship fund.

The next project earmarked for funding will be the replacement of the picnic tables-benches at which the children eat at lunchtime, at an estimated cost of $50,000.

With all the hard work and dedication the founders, committee members and others have put into making the Warwick Academy Clothing Mart such a success when so many other ventures have failed, it is not surprising that they are eager to celebrate a half century of staying the course.

So on opening day ? Thursday, October 19 ? there will be special features for shoppers to enjoy: cake and balloons for as many as possible, as well as hidden rebates, giveaways, and a draw with prizes.

For the first time, all consignees will also be entered in the draw.

Meanwhile, organisers are appealing for more volunteers to help before, during and after the sale, even if they can only spare an hour or two. They should ( Maria Duffy at 236-3156 or e-mail Duffynorthrock.bm as soon as possible.