Committee of 25 for Handicapped Children, a registered charity, the popular Pembroke thrift shop has undergone a remarkable metamorphoses from its early beginnings in an old wooden building originally purchased from the US Government for a nominal $2.

Today's Bargain Box is housed on the ground floor of a smart, two-storey building set beneath a clutch of leafy trees, and approached by a macadamised driveway.

The idea of opening a thrift shop originated with Mrs. Bea Stott -- the current Bargain Box committee chairman -- after the wooden building previously occupied by the Sheltered Workshop (another Committee of 25 project until it was taken over by Government and renamed the Opportunity Workshop) became vacant.

Readily accepted by the Committee, the thrift shop has proved "a winner'' from inception. Throughout all of its history, Mrs. Stott has proudly watched her "baby'' grow and mature.

The present structure is the final step in an evolution which began when the wooden building finally crumbled in 1985. In its place a two-storey building was opened on May 6, 1987. The building was further expanded in 1991 to provide an office for the Committee and additional commercial rental space.

Today, the mortgage is paid, and its only expenses are utilities and repairs.

As always, the new building continues to earn money for the benefit of Bermuda's handicapped children, and its regular customers return again and again for clothing and small household items at low, low prices.

"We're now getting the children and grandchildren of the original shoppers in,'' Mrs. Stott said. Yet, steady as business was, the chairman felt it could be better.

Like its downtown counterparts, the Serpentine Road store needed to keep up with the times. Bargains were no longer the be-all and end-all of shopping.

Customers wanted spiffy surroundings too.

So this summer the Committee decided to close the shop for a while, and give it a fresh, new look. Volunteers rolled up their sleeves and set to work. They painted the walls, woodwork and shelving, laid new carpeting, re-arranged the fittings, and brought new order to the merchandise.

When the doors re-opened in early September, customers discovered the same warm, friendly volunteer staff, the same mix of bargains, but cleaner, brighter surroundings, and better-displayed merchandise.

Books, for example, are now stacked on shelves by category, and clothing is arranged by colour.

So far, the new system has proved a great success, and customers are responding with renewed enthusiasm to the smarter interior.

"It's amazing the reaction we have gotten since we re-opened,'' Mrs. Stott said.

To celebrate the newly-refurbished Bargain Box, a gala fashion show took place at the Serpentine Road facility last Saturday.

A great place for bargains! Volunteers, and daughters of volunteers, modelled a wide variety of clothing from its many racks before an invited audience headed by Lady Swan.

At the fashion show, which Mrs. Stott said was the Committee's way of thanking all those who had supported the Bargain Box over the years, nine models showed off some 50 outfits, including four authentic Japanese kimonos recently dropped off by an anonymous donor.

"The kimonos are absolutely beautiful, and look as if they might have been used a production of Puccini's opera, `Madam Butterfly'. In any case, an English antique dealer has valued them at 500 each!'' Models also struck a vampish note when they paraded two outfits which Mrs.

Stott jokingly called "ladies of the night'' numbers.

"One was a red lace dress which was worn with long, black stockings and a feather boa. The other was a short, gold dress -- also worn with long, black stockings,'' Mrs. Stott said.

Now that one show is over, the other goes on.

"The Bargain Box is the Committee of 25's biggest earner,'' a proud Mrs.

Stott revealed. "Since we opened the new Bargain Box in 1987 our earnings have more than trebled.'' With the recent refurbishment, the figure is expected to go even higher. And why not? In the seventeen years of its existence to 1993, the Bargain Box had raised over one third of a million dollars for the Committee.

And what sort of merchandise can be found there? Clothing in all sizes for men, women and children; household items, books, jewellery, bric-a-brac, cosmetics, and small items of furniture.

All of it is donated by merchants and private citizens, and before anything reaches the shelves Mrs. Stott's team of volunteers faithfully sort, hang, stack and display the constant stream of merchandise which finds its way through the Bargain Box doors.

Every item is carefully examined to make sure it meets the discerning standards of Bargain Box customers. For no matter what the circumstances which draw people to the shop, they are selective shoppers.

Items which are broken, faded, ripped, dirty, rusty, mildewed, stained or termite-infested, or with broken zippers and buttonless, are unsalable.

While such "donations'' may ease a donor's conscience, they generally mean unpleasant, extra work for the busy volunteers who must not only sort them but lug them to a garbage skip.

The only exception is clean cotton clothing considered too shabby for regular sale, which is put aside and sold by the bagful to garages for rags.

Out-of-season clothing -- usually the result of a closet clear-out -- is another problem the Bargain Box tries to discourage for several reasons: Winter clothing, in particular, tends to date quickly; there is nowhere to store unseasonal items long-term, and no facilities to protect them from moths or mildew.

Like other thrift shops, the Bargain Box also has a problem with donations left on the doorstep at the wrong time.

Despite signs which clearly indicate receiving and opening days, Mrs. Stott says donors continue to dump merchandise on the doorstep when the Bargain Box is closed.

"We would ask people not to drop off their donations when the Bargain Box is closed because it either gets stolen or vandalised,'' Mrs. Stott explained.

"People come along, rip open the bags, pick out what they want and strew the rest about. Our volunteers then have to clear up the mess and take the things to the dump because they've been ruined.'' Thieves have also recently robbed the charity shop of its cash register. While new security measures are now in place as a result, a new register is urgently needed.

"We would be very grateful if someone could give us another one,'' Mrs. Stott said. "It doesn't have to be new or sophisticated, but we do need a register to keep track of our sales.'' Anyone able to donate one should contact Mrs. Stott at 295-1822.

Although 17 volunteers presently run the Bargain Box, more are needed to ensure a long future for the popular thrift shop.

"We would like to encourage younger people to become involved so we can train them to carry on,'' Mrs. Stott said.

Volunteers are asked to work four-hour shifts.

Meanwhile, the valuable contribution the Bargain Box makes to the lives of Bermuda's handicapped children goes on.

The shop is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Receiving days are Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.