About The Clothing Swap...
As I sit down to write this we have exactly 10 days until the Spring Equinox. Normally this time of year we’d be gearing up for our clothing swap, and then flea market season. This year, one of those things isn’t happening and I wanted to take a moment to share with you why…
When we started the clothing swap we figured it would be like many of the other swaps we host, small, one-day and reasonably manageable. At first, it was. We started with two tents, a couple of borrowed clothing racks and some tables. And then it grew… and grew… and grew…
It was clear that the clothing swap was meeting a need and the desire that our community had to reduce waste, celebrate abundance and come together to share our resources with one another. And my goodness did we do that.
If you’ve attended any one of the last three clothing swaps you know that it has become MASSIVE. It takes over a month for us to prepare, fills up our entire basement and has folks waiting in line around the block to join in on the fun. That also means that now we’ve outgrown the space that we have available to provide this wonderful swap.
First of all, let’s celebrate that! Y’all showed up for this and for that we are incredibly grateful!
Since that first swap we’ve seen more and more places join the fun and host their own! From the library to other retail shops to community members coming in to let us know they hosted one in their living room with friends!
So… what’s the point? The point is we’ve decided to discontinue the clothing swap at Kindred. What we can continue to offer is coaching, best practices, resources and more for folks who can and want to host their own clothing swaps. We’ve learned so much along the way and we want to share that knowledge with you to help you host your own swap - let’s work together to keep those clothes out of the waste-stream and share the abundance in our community.
This was not an easy decision to make. We know you love the clothing swap. We love the clothing swap. And yet, it’s important for each of us to acknowledge and honor our limits.
Thanks for understanding. Thanks for being a part of this. Together, we are doing great things.
When we started the clothing swap we figured it would be like many of the other swaps we host, small, one-day and reasonably manageable. At first, it was. We started with two tents, a couple of borrowed clothing racks and some tables. And then it grew… and grew… and grew…
It was clear that the clothing swap was meeting a need and the desire that our community had to reduce waste, celebrate abundance and come together to share our resources with one another. And my goodness did we do that.
If you’ve attended any one of the last three clothing swaps you know that it has become MASSIVE. It takes over a month for us to prepare, fills up our entire basement and has folks waiting in line around the block to join in on the fun. That also means that now we’ve outgrown the space that we have available to provide this wonderful swap.
First of all, let’s celebrate that! Y’all showed up for this and for that we are incredibly grateful!
Since that first swap we’ve seen more and more places join the fun and host their own! From the library to other retail shops to community members coming in to let us know they hosted one in their living room with friends!
So… what’s the point? The point is we’ve decided to discontinue the clothing swap at Kindred. What we can continue to offer is coaching, best practices, resources and more for folks who can and want to host their own clothing swaps. We’ve learned so much along the way and we want to share that knowledge with you to help you host your own swap - let’s work together to keep those clothes out of the waste-stream and share the abundance in our community.
This was not an easy decision to make. We know you love the clothing swap. We love the clothing swap. And yet, it’s important for each of us to acknowledge and honor our limits.
Thanks for understanding. Thanks for being a part of this. Together, we are doing great things.
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