At Free Stores, It’s All for Free
Take what you want at the donation-based “stores” at no cost.
Illustrations: Nadezhda Kurbatova/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
At Free Stores, nothing is for sale. The public is invited to drop off plants, toys, books and other items for others to take at no cost. With 22 locations primarily on O‘ahu, the community-centric “stores” might be a cabinet propped on a residential wall, a “free fridge” for food exchanges, or even a blanket on someone’s lawn. University professors Gaye Chan and Nandita Sharma—part of the anti-capitalist, anarchist group Eating in Public—opened the first Free Store in the early 2000s, and over the years, other like-minded, sustainability-driven individuals joined the movement and added similar shops.
nomoola.com/stores, @hawaii_freestore
Annabelle Ink was HONOLULU’s editorial intern this past summer. She’s a senior at Pomona College in Southern California.
