A free boutique in an unused office space at Change Grow Live Nottinghamshire is transforming the lives of those who shop there – and volunteer there.
A new outfit can mean many things. It can mean that someone attending a job interview feels smart and confident. Someone who is sleeping rough can keep warm and dry. Someone struggling with drug use can blend in as they walk down the street.
A group of service users and volunteers at our Worksop hub were all too aware of this. With a range of lived experience between them, they understood what it was like to have very little, and how this can draw judgement from others. The group meets regularly as PLENNTI: the People’s Lived Experience Network Nottinghamshire to Inspire. The inspiration, in this case, was a ‘rummage box’ in the hub, filled with donated clothes.
Realising that an unused, glass-walled office space presented the perfect ‘shop window’, a member of the group brought in a rail to display the clothes – and The Boutique began to take shape.
The whole idea was to give people things that were free – but with dignity.”
– Lynne Jaap, Service User Involvement Lead, Nottingham
A flood of donations
Lynne put the word out among the service’s staff, and The Boutique was soon overwhelmed with donations of clothes.
Vicky, a PLENNTI member, has been “the main driver,” says Lynne. “She was coming in every day, sorting the clothes out, putting them into boxes, putting them into sizes, putting them into male, female, children's. She got the service manager to order some big cupboards and walked probably two miles to get coat hangers.”
To raise funds, anything unwearable is collected by volunteer Andy, who sells the rags by the kilo. Another volunteer identifies items to sell on Vinted. Staff members are also welcome to take garments from The Boutique, in exchange for a donation.
Driving down stigma with every sale
With its glass walls and prominent position opposite the reception desk, The Boutique looks just like a shop. This is no accident, explains PLENNTI member Craig. “We've got such amazing stock and it's so well presented. Part of it is about bringing a sense of pride: ‘Oh, look, I've got the opportunity to have something pretty.’ Yeah, even for the blokes! It’s the idea of having a shopping experience, being treated with respect.” Robin, another volunteer, agrees:
When we send one of our service users out looking smart, wearing clean clothes, down goes the stigma straight away.”
Auditing to evidence demand
The group quickly realised that the shopping experience couldn’t be a free-for-all. With Lynne’s support, they have developed a system where a recovery worker completes a referral form for each person who would like to request items. Robin then uses the forms as part of a meticulous monthly audit of the people accessing The Boutique, the items they’ve received, and the available stock.
“From that I can work out what isn't shifting,” he says. “We can then say to people who kindly donate clothes, ‘actually, we've got enough ladies’ tops at the moment.’ What we want to end up with is a nice balance where we've always got stock of what's popular, and we’re not building up stock that’s going to sit there and do nothing.”
Evidencing demand means that Lynne can justify purchasing items which cannot be donated second-hand, such as toiletries – particularly those with fragrances suitable for men – or underwear. She uses the cash the group has generated through the rag sales, Vinted and staff donations – as well as small allocations from the service manager.
The project doesn’t have a large budget, but PLENNTI plans to request grants from community funds as word spreads about The Boutique, and the group’s ambitions grow.
Dressing with dignity
The team recognises the need for people to have appropriate clothing for weddings, job interviews or court cases. This is why Robin donated some of his suits, he explains:
In The Boutique, somebody will appreciate them and I get the satisfaction of knowing that a suit that I will never use will be worn. We can give them some immediate dignity back by giving them decent clothes to go out in.”
Andy, too, has donated items, including dresses. “There’s a group here for parents in recovery,” he says. “If they've got a daughter going to a prom, they don't want that stigma of the parent going onto the child. So that girl can come and get a dress, she can go to that prom with her peers and hold her head up high.”
Lessons learned
For services who might be looking into setting up similar initiatives, Lynne’s top tip is to be clear to staff that you only want quality items. “We're not expecting service users to wear things we can’t wear ourselves. What is the reason that you're not wearing it anymore? Is it because you don't like it anymore or it doesn't fit you? Or is it because it's got holes in it?”
She also advises thinking about the request process, “because there will be times when your volunteers aren't there.” The Boutique’s referral forms mean that even when PLENNTI volunteers are not available, the recovery coordinators can still support service users to receive items, as the stock is all recorded.
Vicky, meanwhile, highlights the potential for facilities such as The Boutique to draw people into Change Grow Live – and keep them coming back. “If we can help [people sleeping rough] especially to come in through that door, it would be a bit of an incentive to come and use the service. It's not just a one-off thing.”
Confidence to careers: The Boutique gives back
There’s no doubt that The Boutique offers welcome benefits to its customers – but its team of volunteers feel hugely rewarded, too – as Vicky explains.
For me personally, I've been in that situation where I've come out of custody and had nothing. If I had come here and seen [The Boutique], I would have been so made-up. I think that’s why I've been so passionate about it. If I can help one person, I'm happy."
Even though her situation is much improved now, Vicky emphasises that she still gets a huge amount from The Boutique. “It makes me feel happy, makes me feel like I'm wanted and I'm needed for a purpose. I'm not just here to be Vicky; I'm Vicky here to help other people.”
Craig, meanwhile, appreciates the professional benefits of being part of The Boutique. "There's an element of developing or rediscovering skills," he says.
As people with lived experience, some of us may be suffering from a lack of confidence, some isolation, we don't want to necessarily deal with the general public. We might have fears about going back into the workplace. With The Boutique, there's an opportunity to do that in a safer environment."
Robin adds, "I did a shift on Monday. A lady came in with her recovery coordinator and took five items. And I'm not kidding; she was in tears. She couldn't thank me enough.
That's why I'm here on a Monday morning and not sat at home. What a wonderful feeling, to see that lady so happy about something that we take for granted."
*Some names have been changed