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Pop-up jewellery store delights Lanark Heights residents
Forget-Me-Not Gratis Shoppe brings nearly 80 residents a joyful surprise
6/9/2025
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Deron Hamel
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Lanark Heights recently established a community connection that resulted in the Kitchener long-term care home’s residents being treated to a day of jewellery shopping – and all the items were free.
The Forget-Me-Not Gratis Shoppe is a pop-up jewellery store that visits long-term care homes in southwestern Ontario and allows residents to shop for free. The initiative is made possible by people who make donations.
“The goal of the Forget-Me-Not Gratis Shoppe is to bring a safe shopping experience to the senior in the comfort and safety of their LTC Home without any concern of cost,” the Forget-Me-Not Gratis Shoppe states on its Facebook page.
After learning about this initiative, Lanark Heights life enrichment manager Karla Verdesoto contacted the shop's facilitator, Lynn, about making an appearance at the home, and Lynn agreed.
Karla says shopping is an activity many residents enjoy, but some cannot make it to malls or local stores due to mobility challenges, so the Forget-Me-Not Gratis Shoppe provided a unique experience for them.
And team members wanted to do something special for residents as well, she adds, so the Forget-Me-Not Gratis Shoppe made an appearance at Lanark Heights in May.
“We wanted to spoil our residents – both men and women,” Karla tells S&R Today. “It was very popular; we got almost 80 residents and it was one of our big events. All of our staff from the life enrichment department worked to help porter the residents.”
Residents were able to choose up to four items of jewellery to keep. The Forget-Me-Not Gratis Shoppe made residents' day, Karla says.
“Many of our residents were so emotional and happy, as they couldn't believe they can shop for free,” she says. “As you can see by the photos, our residents were overjoyed with this surprise.”
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