Gowanus Free Store Closes Citing Nearby Construction, Mess

Park Slope NY

02 June, 2022

3:47 PM

Description

BROOKLYN, NY — When Gowanus Mutual Aid opened a free store on the corner of Douglass and Bond streets last March, the group thought the volunteer-led space would operate indefinitely. Aptly dubbed "The Sharing Corner," the store — which started as a couple of cabinets — quickly grew into a small, colorful structure with shelves for clothing, unopened non-perishable food and kids toys alike. With the help of volunteers, Gowanus Mutual Aid kept the store stocked and organized. The first signs of trouble, though, came publicly in May, when the mutual aid group suspended free store donations, citing a surplus of goods and too much mess. "Recently the Free Store has been overloaded with donations and some mornings we arrive to find the store has been trashed during the night," the group posted two weeks later, asking community members to meet to address the mess. Then, on Wednesday, Gowanus Mutual Aid announced The Sharing Corner is closed for good. The group — which didn't respond to Patch's request for comment — did not give a reason for the store's closure in its original announcement on Instagram. In the post's comments, though, Gowanus Mutual Aid went into more detail, citing imminent development and the ongoing mess as reasons for shuttering the free store. "The main issue is the building directly next to the free store is being demolished and has filed for permits with the city for construction to begin," said one regular volunteer in response to a question about what prompted the store's closure. (Patch found as-yet unapproved plans filed with The Department of Buildings to build a 22-story mixed-use building at 192 Douglass Street, next to the free store.) Gowanus Mutual Aid echoed this sentiment, saying that in addition to the construction the group has been dealing with other challenges. "If you take a look at past posts you will see that we have been trying (unfortunately with limited success) to work through some other challenges," the group commented, likely alluding to the ongoing issue of mess. "Given that development is imminent anyway, we have decided just to close the store." The decision to close, though, comes with a "heavy heart" the group said, thanking volunteers for keeping it running and encouraging neighbors to donate to other organizations listed in the post. Gowanus Mutual Aid launched in December 2020 amid a citywide mutual aid group boom. At first, the group focused on neighborhood grocery deliveries, which it has since suspended in lieu of "market days," where supplies are handed out at a given location. The mutual aid group still has three market days on its calendar from June through September, but it's not immediately clear where they will be held since the free store was usually the pick-up site.