The Free Store is exactly what it sounds like--everything is free. Donations and volunteers make it possible.
On Saturday mornings it opens its doors at about 9 a.m., though the sales don’t begin till 10 a.m. Early-comers are invited to chat over coffee and bagels or sit in on a worship service, and it's fine to just come and shop.
Those who visit the store are called members and already 97 have joined as word of the store’s offerings has spread.
Already, a sense of community is building as those who have come in for free clothes have returned a few days later with items of clothing that no longer fit their children, donating them to the cause, says Erin Thompson, a member of the group who coordinated the store’s opening.
Ultimately, the
Free Store wants to provide a gathering place for the community and be involved in a number of different activities that will bring together those in the surrounding neighborhood. But for now the focus is on the clothing, says Thompson. They are taking it slowly and listening to what members of the community are saying their needs are.
For example, already members have indicated it is difficult to find affordable bedding as the spread of bed bugs has made used bedding unavailable. How the need could safely be addressed is the kind of initiative the Free Store could take on once it makes sure the clothing piece of its operation is firmly in place, Thompson says.
The Free Store came together through the partnership of four area churches--Sunnyside United Methodist Church, Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, Stockbridge United Methodist Church, and Lutheran Church of the Savior.
Pastors at several of the churches knew one another and shared an interest in working with residents on Kalamazoo’s Eastside neighborhood. Members of their congregations came together in a group of about 12 that began meeting last fall to pull together plans for the store, modeled primarily after a Free Store in Ohio. They become one of more than 60 Free Stores have been launched across the nation, primarily by churches.
The store has been open at 2238 East Main, the former Heritage Hall building, once a week since Feb. 25 and on Saturday, March 24, it celebrates its grand opening with a ribbon cutting, bands, two meals--breakfast and lunch--and words from Community Organizer Jeremy Orr of ISAAC and Rev. Cara Weiler, of
Sunnyside United Methodist Church.
The Free Store rents space from Kingdom Minded Ministries, which owns the building and has worship services and community activities such as fitness classes there.
The store accepts donations of clothing Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and also during hours of operation on Saturdays. It also is funded through grants and financial pledges from each of the participating congregations.
"Kalamazoo is such a giving, loving community," Thompson says. "It’s nice to be part of that."
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Erin Thompson, Free Store
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