Clothing bank opens up new Teen Boutique
The Sharing Shelf Clothing Bank has opened up a brand-new clothing boutique for teens referred by schools and nonprofits - and everything is free!
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The only thing different about this boutique is that there are no price tags, and no cash registers.
"It doesn't feel any different than any other retail store that you walk into and that was our goal," said Niki Grados, the program director for the Teen Boutique.
The teen boutique is brand new, and teens referred by community partners are able to make an appointment for some price-tag free, stress-free shopping, to fill their shopping back to the gills.
"So when they leave, the goal is their bag is overflowing," said Grados.
"It's fun honestly, were paying more attention to how we want to look instead of what like we can afford," said teen shopper, Richee Rogers.
The clothing at the shop is donated by Westchester residents, and they heavily rely on those donations.
"We have an extreme and particular sorting process. Everything is gone over with a fine-tooth comb, no holes no stains," said Grados.
A group of kids from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Westchester Putnam county shopped at the boutique on Tuesday. They were searching for office attire to wear to their summer internships.
"I'm looking for more shirts because I only have three," Richee Rogers said.
But it's not just clothing that shoppers get there, they're also learning what to wear in different situations.
"Today, we focused on office apparel and what is appropriate in an office setting," said Grados.
According to The Sharing Shelf Clothing Bank, between the years 2020 and 2023, applications to shop at their clothing bank skyrocketed 300%.
"Living in Westchester a lot of people don't realize there's a need here, so some of these kids sort of get forgotten," said Grados.
According to the Sharing Shelf, studies show that attendance and academic performance improve in students provided with clean clothing.
