Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
ALTON – It is springtime in the Riverbend, and many people use the warming weather to motivate themselves to do a little cleaning and get rid of some clutter.
A lot of that clutter can be attributed to clothes taking space in closets and drawers. To prevent those clothes from adding to ever-growing landfills, many people donate them to donation centers and drop-off locations across the area, but Alton Main Street has worked to create a more innovative and hands-on solution to that clothing clutter – a pop-up clothes swap.
The next Pop-Up Clothes Swap will be held in the historic ballroom of the Mineral Springs Mall, located at 301 E. Broadway in Alton on April 28, starting at noon. Anyone who brings their gently-used clothing and accessories to the swap will be able to trade their clothes for as many new items as they would like.
According to a release from Alton Main Street, the event is open to the public and is $5 for people who bring clothes to swap and $10 for folks who come empty-handed looking to fill their empty closet. Those who bring clothes unable to still be worn can still bring worn-out clothing and fabric for it to be recycled through the organization, Remains Inc., which works to keep clothing from landfills when they can still be recycled.
“A Needs Assessment conducted by Alton Main Street revealed that additional clothing stores and resale shops are highly-sought after by many community members,” the release from the organization stated. “'Pop-up shops' are creative temporary retail and restaurant establishments held in underutilized commercial spaces that provide a tangible way to test the market. Successful pop-up events can provide confidence to entrepreneurs that their idea for a new business will be supported by the public. A series of pop-up shopping concepts are in the works with a variety of themes based on what was learned through the survey.”
Alton Main Street Executive Director Sara McGibany said such an event will help Broadway businesses, stating Alton Main Street's “ultimate economic development goal is to reduce instances of Alton residents leaving town to make purchases or find experiences.” When people leave Alton, the city's sales tax base suffers.
“An additional benefit of the clothing swap is that it's sure to increase foot traffic for the rest of the Broadway businesses,” McGibany said in the release. “Hopefully, attendees will score some great freebies at the event and turn around to spend the dollars they saved at other shops and restaurants while they're in the district.”
More information can be found by contacting the event's coordinator, Laura Blair, at blairlairstudios@gmail.com. More information on Alton Main Street can be found at www.DowntownAlton.com or www.Facebook.com/AltonMainStreet. McGibany can be reached at (618) 463-1016 or via email at sara@altonmainstreet.org. Opportunities for volunteerism can also be found through Alton Main Street for those interested in building the Riverbend community.
More like this:
