Around the Sun: A Blog About Saving Money in Portland, Oregon, and beyond

Get Free Clothes at Upcoming Women’s and Kids’ Clothing Swaps in Portland

September 17th, 2007

What is a swap?

A swap is a free event where participants bring their good-condition new and used items that they no longer want anymore. The items get combined into a pile (or many piles) and then everyone rummages through and takes home whatever they like.

Upcoming swaps in the Portland area

There are 3 swaps happening in Portland over the next couple of weeks:

• Women’s Size 0–5 Clothing Swap, September 21
• Women’s Size 6–12 Clothing Swap, September 20
• Kids’ Clothing Swap, September 29

All of the swaps are sponsored by PDXSwap (www.pdxswap.com). I’ve been to the Women’s Size 0–5 Clothing Swap a couple of times in the past. It’s a great way to get rid of clothes that are just taking up space in your closet and pick up “new to you” items to add to your fashion repertoire. You can read my tips for a good swap experience here.

For more details on each swap, see below.

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Women’s Size 0–5 Clothing Swap

WHEN: Friday, September 21, 7:00 pm sharp (arrive a little early).

WHO: Women of all ages who wear sizes 0–5.

WHERE: People’s Food Co-op in the Upstairs Community Room, 3029 SE 21st Avenue, Portland, OR 97202, 503.232.9051.

BRING: Clean and in good condition size 0–5 clothes/accessories/shoes (plus petite equivalents) to swap, a bag to carry your treasures home in, a full length mirror if you have one. There are no minimum requirements for how many items you have to bring or how many you can take, but please be courteous and generous. You may also want to wear spandex/yoga/bike clothes or a swimsuit under your regular clothes so you don’t have to get naked to try things on.

HOW IT WORKS: At 7:00 pm, we dump all our bags of clothes into a pile on the floor (we have an accessories pile in a separate place so no one is hit by an errant shoe or purse). You take what interests you and put it in a pile behind you. When your pile gets rather large, you try on the clothes in your pile, throw back what you don’t want, and put what you do want in the bag(s) that you brought. Items that do not get swapped will be donated to a local charity.

RSVP: You must RSVP to attend. RSVP to small@pdxswap.com.

CONTACT & NEWSLETTER: If you have any questions about the swap or are not already on our email list and would like to receive email notification of future women’s small-size clothing swaps, send an email to small@pdxswap.com. (We will not spam or sell your name—we promise!) The only “membership” rule is that you be respectful and have fun!

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Women’s Size 6–12 Clothing Swap

WHEN: Thursday, September 20, 7:00 pm (arrive a little early). Depending on how many people show up, the exchange can last from 30–50 minutes.

WHO: Women of all ages who wear medium sizes 6–12.

WHERE: Presbyterian Church of Laurelhurst (in the Narthex), 935 NE 33rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97232, 503.232.9129.
Directions: Two blocks south of Sandy Blvd on 33rd, at Pacific Street, in a small modern red brick building. There is a large parking lot behind the church. Enter through the door closest to the parking lot. There will be signs.

BRING: Clean and in good condition size 6–12 clothes/accessories/shoes (plus petite and jr. equivalents) to swap, a bag to carry your treasures home in, a full length mirror if you have one. There are no minimum requirements for how many items you have to bring or how many you can take, but please be courteous and generous. You may also want to wear spandex/yoga/bike clothes or a swimsuit under your regular clothes so you don’t have to get naked to try things on.

HOW IT WORKS: At 7:00 pm, we dump all our bags of clothes into a pile on the floor (we have an accessories pile in a separate place so no one is hit by an errant shoe or purse). You take what interests you and put it in a pile behind you. When your pile gets rather large, you try on the clothes in your pile, throw back what you don’t want, and put what you do want in the bag(s) that you brought. Items that do not get swapped will be donated to a local charity.

RSVP: No RSVP needed.

CONTACT & NEWSLETTER: If you have any questions about the swap or are not already on our email list and would like to receive email notification of future women’s medium-size clothing swaps, send an email to medium@pdxswap.com. (We will not spam or sell your name—we promise!) The only “membership” rule is that you be respectful and have fun!

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Kids’ Clothing Swap

WHEN: Saturday, September 29, 10:30 am. The swap will last about 30 minutes, be sure to arrive a little early.

WHO: Anyone looking to swap kids’ items. Some have asked if they can bring their kids along. You know your children best—if they like to stay close by you and enjoy the color and pageantry of clothes, feel free to bring them along. Please remember, however, that the meeting area may not be child-proofed, so consider bringing something (like crayons or books) to engage small children.

WHERE: Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1244 NE 39th Avenue, Portland, OR 97202.
By car: Go east on I-84 to the 39th Avenue exit. Turn right on 39th Avenue and you will find it across the street on the left. There’s lots of parking. Enter the church through the NW wheelchair/stroller accessible door on Senate Street. There will be a sign at this entrance directing you to the swap.
By TriMet: The church is located on the #75 TriMet bus line and just south of the Hollywood MAX station.

BRING: Clean clothes in reasonable condition, no rips, tears, visible stains, etc. There are no minimum requirements for how many items you have to bring or how many you can take, but please be courteous and generous. Don’t forget to bring a bag to carry your treasures home in.

In addition to clothing, you can also bring gently used kids’ accessories and other wearables: shoes, socks, hats, scarves and mittens, sunglasses, bibs and bottles, maternity clothes.

Also bring: You can also bring small- and medium-sized toys and larger baby items also in reasonable condition: children’s videos and DVDs, bedding without tears or stains, baby baths, bouncer chairs, car seats, high chairs, baby and children’s furniture, strollers.

HOW IT WORKS: Clothes will be separated into three major size groups and marked with signs. Add the clothes you bring into the matching size pile(s). At the designated time, you look through the piles to find the items in the sizes you need and put them in your bag. Items that do not get swapped will be donated to low income and high needs families in our PDX community.

DONATE: If you would like to donate kids’ clothing to the swap, send an email to pdxkidswap@gmail.com and we’ll arrange for a pick-up. Please feel free to pass this information along to anyone else who would like to donate kids’ clothing.

RSVP: No RSVP needed.

CONTACT & NEWSLETTER: If you have any questions about the swap or are not already on our email list and would like to receive email notification of future kids’ clothing swaps, send us an email at pdxkidswap@gmail.com. In your email, include the size and gender of clothing you will bring and the size and gender of clothing you need (we will not spam or sell your name—we promise!). The only “membership” rule is that you be respectful and have fun!

Entry Filed under: Children,Clothes,Events,Free,Frugal living,Portland,Swap