Give Something, Get Something

If one were to read the history of my wardrobe, it would be a tale of hand-me-downs and lost-and-found items. It is a habit that is cheap and available. Practicality as a fashion statement is sprung from a preference for manual labor and a penchant for frugality. The abundance of glossy media advertisements provoking over-consumptive cultural patterns does not endear their relentless message to me either. There is a surfeit of clothes in the world, the product of social addictions to new items, a credit card economy, and vanity in personal appearance. In response, the dress code modeled by myself and the crew here at D Acres trends to simplicity, (repetition), and functionality.

Granted, we may represent an acute reaction to general social malaise compounded by a rampant cultural compulsion to shop. I – we – stand by it nevertheless. And this coming weekend, we offer you an opportunity to “shop” in a neighborhood way. March 31st and April 1st D Acres will be holding its annual Clothing Swap 10am-4pm.

This is an opportunity to both give something and get something. Have used clothing items that you, your family, or your friends will make use of no longer? Bring it here! Please don’t throw out apparel, please don’t stuff another landfill with useable goods – fill the tables at The D Acres Garage Mall and offer it to the public. By the same token, if you’re in need (or yes, in want) of some new items, swing on by! Someone else may have dropped off the very piece for which you are searching. There is no charge to drop off nor to pick-up; anything leftover at the end of the weekend will be brought to the Plymouth Community Closet Thrift Store.

So what’s the advantage to the D Acres Mall, open one weekend per year? Well, this clothing swap event provides the opportunity to extend the life of clothing items that would otherwise be trashed, recycled, or shipped overseas. It provides consumers with the option of items they need without fostering an economic dependency on sweatshop labor and distant resource extraction. And it’s free!

We are attempting to redirect the wealth of objects we each possess to benefit our community and replace the dominant social pattern of buying new and trashing barely used. Too, we are criticizing allegiances to brands, decrying the cultural need for new, and disparaging our cultural compulsion for consumption. And we’d like you to join us.

We’re offering a simple and practical start – come by the farm for the annual clothing swap March 31st -April 1st, 10am-4pm. Begin by redefining your understanding of need, want, consumption, and satisfaction. How, really, do you want to occupy your time, your mind, and your money?

~Beth
as published in North Country News