Every six months or so, Sherman Avenue United Methodist Church, a multicultural community of faith on Madison’s North Side, offers the community a chance to browse through a wide variety of clothes, jewelry and accessories and take home what they like at its 2nd Hand Chic Boutique.
This Saturday, April 27, 3:30-5 p.m. at Sherman Church, the 2nd Hand Chic Boutique will have available free gently used and new women’s clothing (business, active and casual wear) in sizes S-4XL, along with handbags, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories.
“We’re looking forward to having people come in and do some shopping. Everything is free,” Caitlin McGahan, executive minister at Sherman Church, tells Madison365. “We have women’s clothing, sizes small through four XL. We also have shoes, jewelry, coats and more. Some things are gently used and some things are still brand new with the tags on … so we’re really happy to provide that kind of boutique experience for folks.”
Sherman Church calls the boutique a “place that helps support second chances and new beginnings after trying times.” The church has been hosting the event twice a year during April, Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and October, Domestic Violence Abuse Month.
“We are just so honored to be able to continue to have the opportunity to have these events to bring awareness. We’ve had survivors come and talk to us and share their stories with us,” McGahan says. “It’s certainly not a requirement, but folks have just felt safe enough to share their stories with us and we’re just really honored to have that experience and just being able to let folks have that welcoming shopping experience with us.
“Sometimes when folks are looking for clothes and they’re on a tight budget or they don’t have any extra funds for clothing and they have a job interview coming up or a court appearance or a celebration or some kind of anniversary or big event and they don’t have something to wear, it just doesn’t make them feel very good.”
(Photo by A. David Dahmer)
This is the fourth year of hosting the 2nd Hand Chic Boutique. You don’t have to be a member of the church to attend and to shop.
“So this is an opportunity to allow people to kind of celebrate themselves without that shame that sometimes gets associated when you’re looking for free clothing. So that’s something that we’re really happy to provide,” McGahan says.
McGahan adds that they give folks a free goodie bag when they leave the 2nd Hand Chic Boutique to brighten their day a little bit. “We try to provide a small bit of makeup, some hugs and kisses with chocolates, and a pen and a sticker you know in the color either teal for Sexual Assault Awareness Month or purple for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We really want to just let people know that they’re appreciated when we see them and we want to make folks feel special.”
McGahan gives a special shout-out to the Sherman Church community and the greater Madison community whose donations make the 2nd Hand Chic Boutique possible. “We have some folks who donate their clothes that are brand new off-the-hanger suits and shoes and never-worn coats and so it’s really wonderful to provide those kinds of diamonds in the rough that folks will get to have,” she says.
“We get a great amount of donations from people in the community and it’s just been overwhelming support every year,” she continues. “We have repeat customers that come back and say, ‘Hey, we really love what we found last year. We’re so happy to come back.’ We have folks who have come here before who tell their family members and friends and so it continues to grow and grow every year.”
Sherman Church is located at 3705 N Sherman Ave.
“We are looking forward to seeing some familiar faces on Saturday and then the new folks, as well. It’s just been overwhelming support from the community with getting the word out and providing donations,” McGahan says. “It’s so wonderful that it’s been so well received.”
