A Swapping Soirée

by Kelly Bryan Smith
April 16, 2008

Going shopping just got easier! Here are a few tips for you and your friends to recycle the clothes and books you have just sitting around the house.

1. Plan your clothing/book exchange a few weeks in advance so that your guests have time to clean off their bookshelves or sort through their closet.

2. Either invite folks with a wide variety of clothing sizes and book interests or go for a more homogeneous group. But don’t invite all size 6s and one size 2. If you don’t know many people, have each of your guests bring a friend or two.

3. Decide on a minimum donation that each participant needs to bring—10 books, or a medium-sized box of clothes. Set ground rules for the condition of clothes or books. For example, no water-damaged books, and no torn or stained clothing.

4. Choose a theme or season for your swap, such as children’s clothing and toys, cookbooks, women’s summer clothing or do-it-yourself home repair manuals. Or let your guests bring whatever they want.

5. Prepare a large space where you can organize books or clothing into piles by size or by genre as your guests arrive. A free-standing clothes rack or two will come in handy.

6. If you’re hosting a clothing exchange, make a room with at least one floor-length mirror available to your guests. If you’re doing a co-ed clothing exchange, you will need two such rooms.

7. Serve snacks that aren’t too messy. Cheetos fingers might not be the best idea for your guests if they’re sorting through ball gowns.

8. Plan to donate all leftover books or clothes to your favorite thrift store.

 
posted by on 04/16/08 at 04:06 PM. [printer-friendly version]