Holidays

I recently went home to visit my family for Thanksgiving weekend and rather than blow a bunch of money on new clothes at the mall, I decided to go through my Mom's old clothes which had just been sitting around for years, not being worn. I found a few pieces I really liked and brought them back home with me to Milwaukee to add to my closet. It was nice to know I wasn't putting a dent in my pocket and knowing that I was saving our landfills from all the clothes that would have been thrown out in the garbage. By wearing my mom's old clothes I was able to save not only those clothes which she would have thrown away, but also the clothes I would have purchased new otherwise which potentially would have ended up in the garbage sometime in the future as well. It's almost like doing double the good just by choosing to wear used clothing rather than new.

In the spirit of reusing and with Christmas being right around the corner, not to mention my lack of money, I decided to check out Ragstock at the Mall of America for presents for my family. Ragstock is a discounted, resale clothing and accessory store. I was able to find a couple nice sweaters for both my sister and my dad. There is also one Ragstock store in Madison, Wisconsin, consider checking it out (or any other resale shop) before going out and buying something new for Christmas. Try and spread a little love back to the environment when shopping this Holiday season.

Purple Heart Foundation

I've just discovered the Purple Heart Service Foundation, Inc. While scheduled donation pick ups cannot be made online through their service in Wisconsin, a phone number is provided to contact the corporation for further information than available on the website.

The Purple Heart Service Foundation supports foundations which benefit war veterans and their families. They make donating used clothes more easy by providing curbside pick ups in certain areas in the U.S. All donations to the Purple Hear Service Foundation are tax deductible.

For information on pick ups in the state of Wisconsin you may call 800-924-0188 or 414-281-4281. I will be contacting the Purple Heart Foundation later this week in regards to pick up and drop off information in the Milwaukee area.

http://www.purpleheartfoundation.org/main.asp

Milwaukee Clothing Resale Locations

“The most responsible way for a consumer and a good citizen to buy clothes is to buy used.” –Patagonia clothing founder Yvon Chouinard (Teecycle.org)

Below, I've provided a short collection of local resale clothing shops in the Milwaukee area. I've provided locations and contact numbers for each along with the corresponding website. Also, I've given a brief overlook at what each shop offers and specific recommendations for each.

1. New To You Kids -

Locations:

West/Brookfield/Wauwatosa 3835 N. 124th Street Brookfield, WI 53005 262-783-4778 South/Greenfield 5020 South 74th Street Greenfield, WI 53220 414-325-7512

Sell infant/toddler clothing up to preteen clothing (sizes 14-16). Their site says they sell most product for half or less than regular retail mark up. New To You Kids carries name brand clothing such as: OshKosh, Fisher-Price, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, etc. They also "pay on the spot" for your gently used children's clothing, bedroom, new baby equipment (such as strollers and high chairs), and toys.

Good for new parents to find inexpensive children's clothing that's good for the environment. And when they quickly grow out of their 'new' clothes, take them back for cash and you can pick something else out.

http://www.newtoyoukids.com/contact/stores.shtml

2. Teecycle.org -

Location:

Online only

Teecycle selects t-shirts from various rummage and thrift stores and resells them on their website. For each sale, Teecyle will donate $1 to the River Revitalization Foundation, this helps to restore the waterways in the Milwaukee area. You can 'subscribe' to receive six shirts for $45 or 13 shirts for $80. Once subscribed, you may choose your size and teecycle will send a 'new' t-shirt to your home monthly or bi-monthly.

I could not find anything saying that Teecycle accepts public donations, but regardless, this is a pretty cool idea. It's kind of like getting an environmentally friendly birthday present every month! And it gives back to the Milwaukee area, double bonus!

http://www.teecycle.org/

3. East Town Woman's Woman's Shop -

Location:

159 N. Broadway

Milwaukee, WI

415-273-1030

Sell designer brand women's clothing and accessories at a discounted rate.

There isn't a whole lot of information on their website, I feel that while it may be a good deal in comparison to regular retail value of brands such as Coach and Versace, overall it probably wouldn't be ideal for the casual thrifter.

http://www.easttownwomensresale.com/

4. Once Again -

Location:

15790 West Capitol Drive
Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005

262-781-4747

Once Again sells women, men's, and children's apparel, as well as accessories and home decor. They consider themselves to be an upscale consignment boutique and only accept items which are in excellent condition and from the current and previous year's fashions only. They offer brands such as: Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, and Ralph Lauren. They also will provide a complimentary personal shopper for those whom are searching for specific items.

Once Again is ideal for the fashion forward woman who's conscious about name brands and helping out the environment while possibly saving some cash. They are also nice for the woman who needs/wants some help in finding fashionable outfits which compliment their figure, because they offer customer assistance and personal shoppers.

http://www.onceagainboutique.com/index.html

Of the 4 selections, my personal favorite is Teecycle. It seems exciting, receiving t-shirts like little environmentally friendly presents each month. Also, at first glance the subscription costs do look a little high, but if you really think about it; 13 shirts for $80 is a pretty swell deal. That's a little over $6 per cool t-shirt! And in addition to super cool, cheap, environmentally friendly t-shirts $1 of each purchase is going to help the Milwaukee waterways. Teecycle is doing a really great thing here!

Getting Started

Hi, a little about me first, I suppose. I'm a student working on a service learning project, my intent is to inform of the benefits of utilizing resale and charity clothing stores and promote their use. Also, I would like to give a little background on the impact clothing has on our landfills.

I admit, I recently moved to a new state and lack transportation aside from city bus. When I initially moved in, I went through some of my clothes and shoes and threw out a small handful. Maybe this is the start of the problem. Maybe we just need more resources to allow us to more easily donate. Through a little research, I found in a Survey of those who donate to Goodwill, "Fifty percent prefer to have someone pick up their donations" (Textiles). In the same survey, it was found that people who donate won't travel more than 10 minutes out of their way to make a donation.

In addition to dropping off donations at your local Goodwill or what have you, many cities provide collections. Some even go as far as to provide "pick up along with recyclables" (Textiles). As to specific donation places in the Milwaukee area, I am still researching. I will look up and provide a list of local charity donation spots as well as resale clothing shops in the next blog.

Please send any feedback or questions my way. Feel free to reach me through the site, or e-mail me at my posted e-mail. I hope this will prove to be helpful. :)

Sources:

"Textiles." Solid Waste District. <<http://www.solidwastedistrict.com/stats/textiles.htm>>