Candor’s Community-Wide Children’s Clothes Closet

By Carol A. Henry —

Candor’s Children’s Clothes Closet, located in Candor’s old Coal Barn, has been in operation for the past year and continues to grow in popularity and size. 

The idea of opening such a store was developed by Rich and Pam Spires. Wanting to offer the unique opportunity to any family in the Candor School District, regardless of income, they came to refer to their unique closet as ‘Freetail’ – everything is free.

“I was cleaning our closets and dressers, bagging up items we were no longer using, including clothing our grandson had outgrown, and planning on taking them to the Salvation Army when I got this crazy idea of opening a store in our town where families could shop for free,” Pam said. 

She continued, “We call it ‘free-tail.’ I wanted to offer this unique opportunity to any family in our district (regardless of income) and provide them a little financial relief, and also give everyone in our town a chance to pitch in and be part of something that brings us together as a community.”

And that they did. Once they got their “business model” pulled together, they started looking for a space that could accommodate their vision.

“I didn’t want the store to feel like an indoor rummage sale,” she said. “I envisioned a space that had a boutique quality about it and felt inviting when you walked in.”

Pam first approached the Resource Center of Candor to see if the second story of their building (Candor’s old Coal Barn) was being used. After meeting with the board and sharing her ideas, they agreed to allow her to use the space.

From there, she and her husband, Rich, began to clean and clear the main area where the store would be and began to organize the space. Once this was accomplished, the couple then reached out to the community for assistance. This is where the town’s people stepped up to help make this a first-class ‘Freetail’ shopping experience for the community as a whole. 

“This has been a community effort through and through,” exclaimed Pam, adding, “Once Rich and I were ready to put the store together so we could open our doors, I reached out to our community and asked for help.”

And the list of those who willingly stepped up is impressive. From Chad Rose donating lumber needed to support clothing wall racks, Candor Community Service Corp reimbursing them for clothing shelving units, there have also been several monetary donations, including the Candor Chamber of Commerce, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and individuals looking to lend a financial hand. 

“The Candor School District held a clothing drive; Hillside Alliance Church donated clothing they did not have room to store, and many families also donated clothing as well,” said Pam, adding, “I have had countless volunteers come in to sort/size clothing or help with shopping days. Patti Reichert and Rose Blinn have been involved from day one in any capacity I needed. Quick’s Logging and Tree Service along with Goodsell Construction came and repaired the building’s roof and added ventilation. Iron Kettle Farm has lent us industrial fans during the hot summer months, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and the First Baptist Church of Candor have clothing donation bins in their buildings. 

“Our Tioga County public libraries have participated in collecting items for Prom, Halloween, Homecoming, and Winter Wear Events. And individuals have had drives for prom, jewelry, school supplies, and toys that they’ve donated.

“This unique and much-needed project has truly been a community affair.”

Currently, the store has two separate sections: the Closet and the Boutique. The closet part of the store has been open to Candor School District families, Tioga County Foster families, and families who have reached out with emergency situations, Pam explained. 

The Boutique section of the store has always been open to any family with children, regardless of where they reside. Pam is looking to expand both, and now that she has an idea of what works well and what doesn’t.

The start-up cost for this project alone was approximately $5,000, which was funded by the Spires’ personal account. They have recouped $2,000 of that amount, for which they are very grateful. Moving forward, they will be writing grants and having fundraisers to offset the costs to keep the store running at its optimum.

The electricity is covered by the RSC, according to Pam, and there are no additional utility costs as the second story does not have heating, cooling, or plumbing. They do have plans this spring to replace the four windows with new ones that will open to help with airflow during the summer, and will be looking at ways to fund this next.

Spires has written a grant to the Floyd Hooker Foundation and was awarded money for a supplemental clothing fund. She has also arranged a fundraiser with artist Sandy Morris, who will host a painting event this spring. Her theme will center on painting wooden porch signs. 

Besides clothing donations, Spires is now accepting donations for a summer yard sale of infant and children’s non-clothing items. 

“I’m looking to expand the ‘Closet’ to include Tioga County CPS cases as well as our other outreach families. There were times when we were able to accommodate these families/ children’s needs, and there were times when we were not able to because our inventory was too low. So my goal is to build our inventory to accommodate all of the cases that come in.”

There has been so much interest from families outside the district to participate in more than the Boutique’s open events, that Spires wants to accommodate this group of people as well. She has spent the last few months talking with moms outside the district and coming up with different ideas of how to expand the Boutique in the most efficient and effective way. 

“Beginning in the spring when we reopen, I will be hosting open clothing sort/ swap events once a month,” said Pam.

Although this is still in the beginning stages, Spires plans to have open tables labeled by gender and size for ages newborn through 10/12. Families that would like to participate should bring clothing items they are no longer using, set them up on the tables, and then swap for sizes they need. 

The Closet will also put out clothing in sizes of which they have an abundance. At the end of the swap, any leftover clothing will be donated to The Closet to help accommodate our outreach program for foster children and families affected by emergencies, and now CPS children.

Donation hours are Sunday from noon to 1 p.m. Shopping times for Candor School District families with ID are the first Saturday of each month, from 8-11 a.m. Boutique shopping time is open to all children and students and will be held on Sundays, with times to be arranged.

To contact the Candor Children’s Closet and Boutique, you can visit them at 1 Water St. in Candor, or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/share/1NHmrSQdhL/.