Second-Hand Intrigue: A Third-Generation Treasure-Hunter Talks Shop. Laurie Lam worked for 25 years as the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre’s Producer. Since her retirement in May, she has returned to her roots as a writer and editor. She recently co-wrote an essay for the Winnipeg Free Press with Ingeborg Boyens, whose photo albums she found in a North End thrift shop. The experience made her think about a lifetime of second-hand shopping, and the unexpected connections that come with rescuing the discarded objects of the world.