The Back Rack, Common Goods Studio team up for community clothing swap

YOUNGSTOWN — Common Goods Studio is collaborating with The Back Rack to host a clothing swap on Saturday.

Sheri Bodo opened Common Goods Studio, 2000 Canfield Road, a small business co-op and coffee shop, in February. She and her sister, Glenniece Bodo, are co-owners of The Back Rack, a vintage and ethical clothing store at the site.

"[Common Goods Studio] decided to do an event every single Saturday this month kind of around the idea of being more sustainable, and really making a good environmental impact on who we are as people every day," Sheri Bodo said.

"We wanted to do a clothing swap which is pretty much the opportunity for people to bring in clothes they no longer want, and then swap them out with somebody else's clothes that they no longer want for free of cost and really keep that clothing cycle going instead of them going into landfills," she added.

The clothing swap is a ticketed event, similar to a voucher system, for customers who donate to the clothing swap. Tickets are categorized by clothing size from XS to 3XL.

When customers donate their unwanted clothing this week, Common Goods Studio will count the number of items. In return for items the customer puts into the swap, they will receive a gift card to be used at the clothing swap event on Saturday.

"If you find 20 items in your closet you no longer want, bring them to the studio that week of the event and then we will give you a $20 gift card so that you can then swap or purchase 20 items at the event at the clothing swap," Bodo said.

Bodo said she encourages people of all sizes to donate clothes into the clothing swap to make the event as inclusive as possible. All clothes that are not taken at the event will be donated to organizations like Dress To Succeed, St. Vincent de Paul Society and Goodwill.

"We've seen clothing swaps happen very much pre-COVID but in bigger cities," Bodo said. "Being able to kind of lead the way in Youngstown and start off something that many people don't think that they do everyday, but, people who go to Plato's Closet they're doing the same thing, right? They're taking their clothes, they're probably finding something that they like and taking it home with them. It's the same thing."

All in all, Bodo told Mahoning Matters she's thankful for the community support of Common Goods Studio and the ability to collaborate with her sister on this project.

"I can't be more thankful for my team and the community for our endless support that we've gotten. We've gotten over 3,000 customers since we've been open and I can't believe that that many people have come," Bodo said.

"We do sell [The Back Rack] collection [at Common Goods Studio] as well. So being able to see customers in person again, buying from us, was great. Being able to collaborate with a business that I also owned and that my sister and I really put our heart and souls into for the last two and a half, three years, means a lot and we've seen a really great turnout and people that are interested, Bodo added."

Go here for more information on the clothing swap.

This story was originally published April 14, 2021 at 4:24 AM with the headline "The Back Rack, Common Goods Studio team up for community clothing swap."