Sugar Blaze

In my last entry, I shared pictures from the PDX Clothing Swap I go to each month. It’s something I look forward to the whole month through and try never to miss. For those of you who aren’t up on what this swapping business is all about, I’m happy to explain it.

• What is a clothing swap?

As its name implies, a clothing swap involves trading in your old items for someone else’s. Every swap has its own rules, but generally speaking, everyone brings clothes they want to get rid of, and one woman’s trash becomes another woman’s treasure. The particular swap I go to has no minimums or maximums surrounding the amount of clothes you can bring or take home. That might seem encouraging of greed, but I have yet to see anyone abuse the system. Some months, I have only one bag of stuff to swap; other months, I have so much, I can barely carry it in alone. I always walk out with tons of new stuff that I’m thrilled with, as well as a few pieces that I’m giving a risk-free try. (If I don’t like it, I just bring it back the next month.) It’s also been a way to meet people and make friends in a city I’m relatively new to (have lived here less than one year).

• How do I find a clothing swap near me?

Several months ago, I typed “clothing swap Portland” into Google, and with luck, I found a swap geared towards women in my size range. Not all swaps are size-specific, and I have heard complaints from people in other cities who’ve gone to swaps only to find very few things that fit, so if you live in a larger city, try to look for swaps with a size range requirement. If you can only find all-size swaps, give them a try. In addition to Google, Craigslist and Meetup are good sites to search for swaps.

• What if I can’t find a clothing swap near me?

If you cannot find a swap near you online, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Check your local newspapers and see what you can dig up, and be sure to ask around. Maybe someone you know is aware of a swap, even if they aren’t involved. If all else fails, start your own clothing swap. You probably have a few friends who would be interested, and with a little word-of-mouth action, you could recruit even more. Check out these tips for organizing a successful swap.

If any of you have had experiences, good or bad, with clothing swaps, I’m interested in hearing about them. I still consider myself a novice, albeit a very enthusiastic one!