The ribbon was cut that morning by regional manager David Hutchinson, store manager Patrina Hedley and assistant manager Evelon Barrow.
Mr Hutchinson said he and his team came down with two trucks of pre-loved items from their warehouse in Christchurch.
The space had been under construction for some time and they had only started installing the shop on Monday.
"It’s a pretty good turnaround," he said.
SPCA community support officer Eric Odell was down from Dunedin for the opening.
His job is the community outreach aspect of the organisation and he was there on Friday to answer the public’s questions.
The Gore SPCA centre shut down in early 2021, as the building was not up to standard and too costly to repair.
Mr Odell wanted to remind Gore that they are still able to foster and rescue animals through the SPCA — who partner with VetSouth.
He said they wished they could have a centre in every part of the country, but only 10% of SPCA’s funding came from the government.
Mr Hutchinson said they already had a few shop volunteers, but were on the lookout for more.
"They’re our bread and butter if you like, that keeps the doors open," he said.
They had already had some Gore donations, before opening, and welcomed more — as long as they were up to standard.
"We wouldn’t put anything out we wouldn’t wear ourselves," Mrs Hedley said.
In terms of fast-fashion, they had rules restricting items that were flammable, Mr Hutchinson said.
But they saw a lot of Kmart and Temu, which was OK, he said.
They have standard pricing across the 90 opportunity shops nationwide, but if something is extra special, such as designer clothing or a well-known collectable, they try to get more for it.
"People donate some amazing things," he said.
