How to Start a Community Clothing Closet

I got mine started by first, finding a place to put it. Second, I started putting out word in my neighborhood for donations, going through my own closets, and asking friends to bring me their unwanted clothing.Third, I asked friends and family for any tables or bookcases that they no longer wanted. I also had a couple folding tables and an old book case. I was ready to get started! If you don't have a garage or building on your own property, try checking with local churches, food banks, and community centers.

I decided to use my garage at our apartment complex. I asked the landlord for permission first and was able to work with her so that I could have people from off the property come by and park in front of my garage to look through the clothes. She told me that as long as I didn't impede apartment traffic and didn't use one of the marked parking places, it was fine. I also agreed with her to not put any signs on the property or outside of the garage door.

I cleaned out the garage and made a sign on a white pillowcase that I hung from the garage door. I tuck it into the edge of the door when I close it up so it stays clean. I placed tables and book cases around the walls in the garage and I was set! I started putting out clothes on the shelves and tables. I was able to use an old metal hanging rack that was used for drying clothes and was able to use hangers, hung from the rack, to hang shirts and children's dresses. I also hung the longer items, coats, and shirts from the tracks for the garage door. I hang a few items from the bottom edge of the door to showcase them. I have a chair I can sit in and a TV tray to set my needlework, book, or whatever I use that day to stay busy.

It doesn't have to look like a retail shop to be able to do good for your neighborhood! As I handed out flyers and explained to people what I was doing, people responded by opening their hearts and donating. Before I knew it, I had more clothes than room!

I love doing this and it helps my neighbors out at the same time. I enjoy sewing and making things that I give away. I advertise on Facebook and Twitter and through word of mouth. Not only does it help people in my area to be self sustaining and consume less, it also keeps clothes out of landfills. What I don't hand out or that is too damaged or stained to donate goes towards making bags, rugs, and baskets that can be donated as well. Here is a picture of shopping bags made from old t-shirts.

To go to my facebook page for Peg's Community Clothing Closet https://www.facebook.com/PegsCommunityClothingCloset/

A Clothing Closet

I believe that we live in a time when part of being frugal is learning to live within a community and help each other out without relying on government agencies as much. We need to pull our neighbors and ourselves together and look beyond our small differences to a bigger sameness that we all share. I remember living in a neighborhood, while growing up, when we would hand down clothes to families with younger children, give casseroles to the neighbor that just got out of the hospital, and watch each others children when there wasn't time to find, or money to pay for, a babysitter. We seem to have lost a lot of that social ability to live with one another lately.
In that vain, I have started a community clothing closet. I live in a large apartment complex that caters to low income families and they are families that are strapped for money for buying clothing for their children and themselves. My clothing closet has clothes in it for men, women, and children, as well as warm hats and scarves, socks, etc.
So I started by cleaning out the garage and throwing sheets over the items that are stored there and are pushed to the side and back of the garage. I put out some tables and racks that clothes can be stacked on and then raided my closet for what I could give away. I had a bag of clothes that were donated and, even though there wasn't much, it was enough to get it opened. I asked my friend, Steven, to help print me some flyers, set the times I would be open, and then sat and knitted between handing out flyers to people walking by..
At first I was greeted with suspicious glances and people attempting to scuttle past without my noticing. Then people started to stop and chat about what I was doing there. Most were a little confused that I wasn't selling something.
My plan is to be as self sustaining as possible to keep clothing out of our local landfill. I made sure to let people know that I would take clothing that was damaged as well as things that are in good condition, but I made sure that they were aware that the things that I deemed as non-wearable would be reused as crocheted rugs and soft sculptured baskets and that those would also be available for free for people to use in their homes. I also plan to cut down adult sized clothing that is stained or torn and use the good parts to make children's cloths that can be given away. What clothing does not get selected by people will be donated to our local drop off box for clothes instead of thrown out. Only severely soiled clothing that is unsanitary for me to handle will be thrown out.
I started the clothing closet yesterday and handed out flyers, but no one came in for clothes. Today I had a couple people actually look and select things for family members and I got a donation of clothes from a lady. I'm excited that people are taking to my idea!
I also got most of a sock done. I plan to donate them to the cause when they are finished.

A Lull in my Blog

I've had a bit of a lull going on lately. Not because my financial life has changed any, I'm still on my tiny fixed income, but because I've been seeking ways to make it grow a little. I opened up my online store again and I've been attempting to get a business going and it's been all consuming. I started by putting a few of my knitting patterns on Ravelry and then decided I should sell the items I've made in order to write the patterns. The problem is that I shared my work on facebook and was inundated with people making orders. I ended up with so many that I ended up closing my Etsy store, just so I could concentrate on the private orders. I'm still playing catch up and had to take a day off today in order to keep my sanity.

I have made a goal that I will not buy any more clothing from a store, with the exception of shoes (I have diabetes and can't afford to take a chance on rubbing a sore on my feet). I bought a pattern to make bras and have found a couple online to make my underclothes. I have a ton of extra fabric that I can use to make my cloths and I'm a notions pirate (I steal things off old cloths to use for new ones; buttons, zippers, etc). I have a working, though not perfect, sewing machine and two old Singers that I keep threatening to fix up. I believe that our society has become too dependent on industry to make our clothing, grow and cook our food, and give us the things we need to clean and maintain our homes. It's time to bring some balance back by doing everything we can to take care of those needs for ourselves.

By the end of this year I hope to be growing and providing some of my own food, making all of my own clothing, and providing all of my own cleaners and cosmetics.

Here is my basic sock patter in case anyone likes to knit and wants to start making their own socks:
Basic knit cuff down socks