With all the proceeds from sales being given to the primary school, the op shop was a reliable provider of funds long before such initiatives as trust ventures and house-building projects were contemplated.
In 2004, the op shop and its 12-strong team of volunteers won a Queenstown Lakes district Heart of the District award for its services to the community.
Wanaka Primary School secretary Paddy Gardner said the op shop had been a significant and consistent backer of the school and had often raised more than $25,000 in a year.
"They've been absolutely wonderful. When you think about how they've raised that much money just from being open two afternoons a week," she said.
The volunteers hope the shop will be operating at its new site in a relocated classroom near the Totara Tce entrance to the new Scurr Heights school next week.
The move has caused some apprehension for op shop co-ordinator Bette Johnson (81) - who has run the operation since 1996 - as her team started packing items this week.
The op shop has seen a decrease in its customer numbers since Wanaka Primary School pupils moved to their new classrooms about a month ago, while competing town-based second-hand stores have also had an affect.
"We're hoping people will still be able to find us and visit once we've moved," Mrs Johnson said.
Fellow co-ordinator Dianne Barnes said the shop would reopen next Thursday. It would be open between noon and 4pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
