Today I want to share my tips for hosting your very own clothing swap. I have now hosted two in my own home, but I have been attending them for about 10 years!
Clothing swaps are a passion of mine. I just love the idea of “free thrifting”!
So here are some tips from my own experience both attending and hosting a clothing swap:
- It doesn’t need to be fancy
- You don’t need flashy decor or a completely open space; you just need a living room, a garage, maybe a dining room.
- How you utilize the space is the most important. The first swap I ever hosted was in February last year, and so obviously it was inside. I rearranged my couch to make a more open area in my living room and then put a disposable tablecloth over the couch and used it to pile all the pants on and organize them by size. If you own a couple of folding tables or a coffee table, you can make it work.
- Refreshments are nice but not necessary
- I’ve been to swaps where there is coffee and charcuterie boards, and I’ve been to swaps where you just go in and dig through piles. I offered water and coffee and a few sweet treats at both of my swaps, but I noticed that water was the most popular and the snacks didn’t get touched much so you can definitely do without them.
- You don’t have to do all the work yourself
- Team up with a friend or two to help with inviting people.
- Offer the option of bringing your clothes early the day of the swap so that you are not drowning in totes of clothes at your house. Label the areas for the swap and have each person sort their own items.
- You don’t have to swap JUST clothes
- Encourage people to bring accessories, jewelry, shoes, clean out their mug cupboard, their bookcase- Whatever you have the space for or an interest in!
- Invite A LOT of people
- Everyone has their own crazy schedule, and chances are it won’t line up with your swap every-time so invite a lot of people to ensure you get a decent turnout. There will always be last minute things that prevent people from being able to make it so it’s important to have a lengthy invite list.
- Both of the swaps I hosted were less than 20 people, but everyone still went home with something, and the size range was excellent for both. That’s something I never usually worry about because all the sizes typically appear!
This past weekend I hosted one in my garage! Now I have a clean garage and a new fall wardrobe. 😂☺️🙌🏻
I hope this encourages you to host your own sustainable swap! (Invite me please! 😂🙋🏼♀️)
Xoxo ~ Taylor