Rather than trash those clothes that aren’t your size or style anymore, why not exchange them for new-to-you duds you’ll actually want to wear?
That’s the idea behind Swap Positive, a blog that catalogs neighborhood clothing swaps in the area around Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash.
While the blog concentrates on women’s clothing broken down into sizes, you’ll also find maternity, children’s clothing, toy, gift, craft supply and family clothing swaps. All the listed events are free. Coordinators volunteer their time, and venues donate their spaces to allow locals to trade without cash ever changing hands.
“The idea behind Swap Positive is to offer and get free clothes, forever,” Barb Hughes, co-owner of the Hughes/Taylor audio production company and curator of Swap Positive, writes on the blog. “No money changes hands with these clothes. Even if you get them home and decide they aren’t quite ‘you,’ we ask that you give them away to someone. That is the mission of Swap Positive.”
Those living in the Northwest can track down events by searching for clothing size and location, or find out how to start a free swap in the size or category you want.
Unlike swap meets, you won’t be charged an entry fee for any of the swaps listed on Swap Positive, and you don’t have to pay for a table to swap your stuff. Since everything is free, there’s really nothing to lose except the environmental impact of all that wasted clothing.
Visit the Swap Positive FAQ page to find out more about how the system works.