THE STREET STORE: LET’S HELP CLOTHE ALL THE DAISIES IN ST FRANCIS BAY
The indignities of poverty are profound, multifaceted and often disguised behind the public ‘face’ of poverty. Truthfully, how many of us have wondered what happens beyond our cash donations and clothing drop-offs at the local thrift store? As morally uncomfortable as it may be, have we ever put ourselves in the position of someone who has no idea where their next meal will come from, or how they will survive the next chilly night with threadbare clothes? Imagine what it must feel like to have no choice in what you receive or what shape your gifted clothes come in.
Well, thankfully for us at Dune Daisies, all of our readers out there, and for the over half a million fortunate recipients across the globe, an amazing team in Cape Town have. Enter the Street Store, the world’s first ‘free’ store for the homeless and those in need. Created in 2014, by M&C Saatchi Abel’s Kayli Levitan and Max Pazak, the Street Store aims to provide a unique ‘shopping’ experience, one which restores dignity and pride to the act of receiving clothing donations. To date, over 1000 stores in 100s of cities across the globe have sprung up on street corners, in community halls and school playgrounds – anywhere where there is a need and a free space to set up ‘shop’.
The concept is beautifully simple. Anyone can host a Street Store by registering on www.thestreetstore.org and taking the Street Store pledge. They are then given free access to downloadable & printable cardboard designs. These documents are available in over 14 languages – testimony to this initiative’s global reach. Once the printed cardboard hangers are ready, the donated items are hung up (in whatever ‘free’ space has been chosen) and a shopping experience is created. Volunteers then help ‘customers’ to browse the options and choose desired clothing, all in a safe, relaxed, dignified environment.
What’s more, St Francis Bay will boast its very own Street Store next month. We caught up with Sam Harpur, of local NPO Heart-Strings, who is the driving force behind hosting this incredible initiative.
DD: Hi Sam, Dune Daisies heard that you are the inspiration behind bringing the Street Store to St Francis Bay. Can you tell our readers exactly what the Street Store is?
Sam: The Street store is a concept that originated in Cape Town and has become a global success story. It is the world’s first rent-free, premises-free, free pop-up clothing store for those in need. It gives those in need the dignity of a shopping experience without having to pay for anything. Everyone deserves the opportunity to choose clothing instead of just getting clothes handed down to them.
DD: What made you want to bring this concept to our home town?
Sam: We were fortunate enough to get invited to a talk by Mike Abel from M&C Saatchi Abel, as part of a Client Care investment function. It was during this talk that Mike introduced the Street Store concept as one of his passionate community projects. When we heard about it, we immediately felt that it could be a project that would make a meaningful difference in the lives of our community members. And so the 1002nd Street Store, in St Francis Bay, was created.
DD: You mentioned while we were chatting that you plan to meet with key community leaders to discuss how to make sure that the items reach those who need them the most.
Sam: We are in the process of coming up with an invitation system. We will be working with community leaders to identify the community members who are in the most desperate situations and then extend an invitation to these people. We don’t want a situation whereby we only have sufficient clothes to assist 100 people and have 500 arrive on the day. Logistically it could be tricky to manage large crowds of expectant people.
DD: Has this type of community work been a long-time passion of yours?
Sam: We have always had a heart for people and reaching out but really felt a strong call to make a meaningful difference when moving to St Francis Bay. We love that we can live in a small town and invest our efforts into our community.
DD: Can you tell our readers more about the other work that you and your partners are doing in the community? (keep an eye out for future posts delving deeper into what these awesome ladies are busy with)
Sam: Our Non-Profit Company called Heart-Strings has been born out of a love for community and has recently been officially registered. We are 3 women, having moved to St Francis, that have a common heart and different passions. Kim Cornish, a nurse, has a heart for well-being initiatives in the community. Nicola Lyle, a High School Teacher, is passionate about making a difference with the youth and hopefully investing her effort into the future high school we foresee in St Francis Bay. I am Early Childhood Development trained and determined to create a stronger foundation at the grassroots level and am passionate about increasing early literature exposure.
DD: So, how can our readers help with the Street Store? Do you need volunteers or donations – what can we do?
Sam: Our most immediate need is for the donation of clothing, without clothing we don’t have a Street Store. We are appealing for men’s, women’s and children’s clothing. Items can be dropped off at the Client Care Offices in the Old Village Shopping Centre, behind Calibre Security and next to Off The Menu Restaurant.
We are also always looking for extra sets of hands to sort clothing, to assist in organizing the event and assist us on the day.
DD: Can any kind of clothing be donated?
Sam: We would be so grateful for any and every bit of clothing including shoes, hats, bags and jackets. We will sort them by gender, size and type.
DD: What if we have items that are not in great condition – should we bring them along anyway?
Sam: We are appealing for items that are still in good condition as we really want this to be an opportunity for these community members to choose lovely items of clothing that they would be proud to wear.
DD: We heard you may be sharing more at the SFB Brewery’s next Story Slam – can you tell us a bit about that?
Sam: Yes, we are very excited to have been invited to the next Story Slam on the 20th of July. My husband, Frank, will be sharing information about the Street Store and how our community can get involved. There will be an opportunity to drop off donated items at this event.
DD: Can you suggest any additional sources that keen readers can follow up on?
Sam: We have recently been awarded the distribution rights, for our area, for an incredible early literature program called Book Dash. We have over 326 children in the Sea Vista Community that will be receiving their own books in the next few weeks. These books are in English and their home language. The website is www.bookdash.org. This is a great resource for free digital children’s books. I have also been reading an incredible book called Mission Possible by Tim Tebow. It is a great book of faith, living mission-minded and finding your purpose.
Know your daisy
I was born in Johannesburg in 1983. I am very lucky to be a wife to Frank and mother to Madison (14) and Troy (12). We have three furry family members – Satara, Kyra and Chloe. We relocated to SFB 1 ½ years ago, post covid, and have been establishing a beautiful life in our small town. Having chosen a complete reset, we are investing our time into our children, building our businesses and community projects that are close to our hearts. We love the outdoors, especially adventuring into the African bushveld at every opportunity we can get and exploring our new backyard (the Eastern Cape).
I love running and feel blessed every time I put my takkies on and get to run around our scenic beach town, it still takes my breath away (because of its beauty and because I am unfit). My favourite place in St Francis is Bruce’s Coffee Shop where we can sip on a delicious cappuccino while we look out onto our magnificent ocean. In my downtime, I enjoy reading, spending time with my precious family and watching my daughter horse ride and my son play soccer.
So to all the Dune Daisy readers out there (and your aunties, friends & neighbours), this is a call to action to gather up your unwanted and unused clothes and donate them to this amazing cause – you will be helping not only the environment (Small Town Swaps & Sustainably Dressed Daisies – Dune Daisies ) but also the less fortunate who call this beautiful place home.
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