'Hilarious and fun': Ottawa man surprised with 40th birthday party inside Value Village
As much as Tyler Garvey loves hunting for a vintage bargain, he never expected to celebrate his 40th birthday inside a Value Village location.
“I feel like it's a Twilight Zone episode. I'm confused, I'm excited, I'm having a great time. This is just hilarious and fun,” said Tyler, surrounded by roughly two dozen friends and family members at the Value Village on Merivale Road.
“Only my mother could put something like this together. She’s hilarious. She’s the best and this is one of my favourite places to go. I’m a nostalgic person and this is just great.”
His mom Joan set up the surprise party, inviting handfuls of people to the thrift store Tuesday afternoon.
“Him and his friends are all turning 40 this year, and so many of them have gone on big fishing trips and all these fancy things, but this is one of his favourite things to do,” said Joan Garvey.
“So, I said, I’m going to call the manager to see if we could do something here, and he was such a cool guy. He said ‘yeah! We’ll set you up a table in housewares.’”
About two dozen people came through, celebrating in the middle of the store as others carried on with their shopping and helping to create a birthday for the books, proving that to pull off a thrift store surprise party, it takes a village.
“He's just always there, always with a smile, and always really just amazing at helping out and a good time,” said Sean Everett who helped to set up the party.
“He’s got a huge, huge group of friends and a lot of people that love him.”
A crowd gathered in the Value Village on Merivale Road in Ottawa on Tuesday to celebrate Tyler Garvey's 40th birthday. (Austin Lee/CTV News Ottawa)
The mother and son duo says searching through the many thrift store aisles in the city has become a weekly tradition.
"It's kind of turned into a love, so we do it together now and we go every senior’s day. That's our bonding experience," said Tyler.
“It’s become a full-blown obsession and I love anything vintage. I’m a nostalgic person. I love old toys, video games, records, clothing and so it turned into a passion of mine.”
It’s a passion that was inherited from his mom.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
During the party in the housewares aisle of the store, Tyler was sporting a 39-year-old pin from his very first birthday party in 1985.
“It’s very cool. I didn’t know she even kept it so, I think that where my hoarding and thrifting and pack ratting comes from,” he said.
”If my mother kept this, that’s why I’m here. I blame it on her.”
"People find us a bit odd I think but we just love our thrifting. We chat, look through the aisles, a lot of it is just junk but then you find the treasures that keeps you coming back," said Joan.
“The whole thing today turned out pretty good!”
Tyler’s enthusiasm for thrifting is so strong that the father of one recently started an Instagram account called @ThriftDaddy, where he posts his treasures for all to see. Many of which were found at the Value Village location where his birthday was held.
"I think it's something that's really cute. The funny part is, most of them that came here to the party, are customers,” said Razan Batshoun, production manager of the Merivale Value Village.
“I was like, ‘oh, I know this guy, I know this lady!’ So, it's nice to see that."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel intensifies bombardment of Gaza and southern Lebanon on the eve of Oct. 7 anniversary
A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque in Gaza killed at least 19 people.
Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
The cooking method you need to learn to get excited about vegetables this fall, expert says
'Eat more vegetables,' doctors and dietitians say over and over. But for many people, it’s hard to do, because they aren’t excited about veggies or just don’t like them.
Hurricane Milton is growing stronger as it blows toward Florida's Tampa Bay region
People across Florida were given notice Sunday that Hurricane Milton is intensifying rapidly and will likely be a major hurricane before slamming midweek into the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.
New Far North hospital moves closer to being built after $1.8B design, build contract awarded
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Inmate dies following assault at Toronto jail, another prisoner charged
A 54-year-old inmate at the Toronto South Detention Centre has been charged in connection with a deadly jail beating late last week that claimed the life of a 69-year-old prisoner.
Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, dead at 63
Christopher Ciccone, a multihyphenate artist, dancer, designer and younger brother of Madonna, has died. He was 63.
'Environmental racism': First Nations leaders claim cancer-causing contamination was covered up
The people of Fort Chipewyan believe the federal government knew its water was contaminated and hid the issue for years. Now the chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is leading the call for immediate action.
Frequent drinking of fizzy beverages and fruit juice linked to an increased risk of stroke: research
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.