@futurebird I volunteer in such a free shop In Berlin which exists about 15-20 years now, rent is paid by donations. People bring stuff, others pick it up. We actually have a huge turnaround: if something is in the shop >3 weeks, it's usually out of season (xmas decoration!). Especially household items & books go quickly. But I do wonder about the huge mass of clothing that passes our shop: books you read and pass on, until they really fall apart, but the amount of clothing is truly crazy..
@dan613@futurebird I do hope so, still, even if you see it as a "clothing library" (yes. some stuff comes back multiple times), I'm pretty sure the amount of clothing that passes our small shop in a year could have clothed the whole of Berlin twice over. So.. where does it all end up?? We suspect some "hoarders" shop with us, but only a small percentage. I'm afraid free shops are only a very small, & temporary, "hold" on the clothing mill, and still a lot of stuff gets dumped when still good..
@futurebird@dan613 yep, that's a fundamental problem: in the free shop we notice the quality of clothing has gone down absurdly. The fabric of a T-shirt 20y old is better than of a new one still with label.. Repairing or making your own clothing is "out": It's cheaper to buy a sweater than to knit it yourself. I do some upcycling as one of the free shop side projects, but it is still a drop on the hot plate of overproduction. The "quality wardrobe" you describe is an exception unfortunately.
Spomenici, hiking, doodling.Wiki on ex-Yu partisan memorials (spomenik/spomenici) here (ditched the https because of the bot spam, add it yourself : ) )www.xiwl.com/w/index.php/Main_Pageand my travel blog (including not just those monuments, but also lotsa hiking in the Dinarian Alps): www.xiwl.com/w/index.php/User:Knoken/Blogold doodles while commuting www.deviantart.com/twisted-krittersSecretly a climate scientist trying to keep the "I hate it when I'm right" to a minimum, but well...