The Sunnyside Swap Shop Co-op is the creation of Karen Hery, community builder and spoken word artist, in response to the pending forces of peak oil and global warming and the need she sees for a bigger sense of community in our lives and neighborhoods.
In June 2006, shortly after moving to the Sunnyside neighborhood in Southeast Portland from San Jose, California, Karen Hery approached Sarah Taylor, principal of Sunnyside Environmental School, an environmentally focused K-8th Portland Public School, to see if she could launch her Swap Shop vision by hosting a Back-to-School Clothing Exchange at the start of the next school year. In late August, the school gym filled up with infant to adult clothes and over 200 Sunnyside School and neighborhood families started off the school year in recycled clothing.
A presentation to the Sunnyside Neighborhood Association later that fall resulted in a successful small neighborhood grant application. This grant funded the Useful Goods Exchange held at Sunnyside Environmental School over Earth Day weekend in April, 2007 where over 500 people swapped over 5000 items (clothing, furniture, toys, books, household goods.) Proceeds from a rummage sale at that event provided seed money to fund the marketing of the Sunnyside Family Swap Shop and Play Space.
In the Spring of 2007, Karen Hery and two other community members were instrumental in the formation of the Sunnyside Community Renovation Project – a joint effort between community members and the Sunnyside United Methodist Church to renovate church space for community use including a five room space for the Sunnyside Family Swap Shop and Play Space.
As founding families were being recruited for the swap shop and Play Space, another Back-to-School Exchange was held at Sunnyside Environmental School in September, 2007. This time the event included backpacks, school supplies and bicycles as well as clothes. Sunnyside Environmental School has continued to promote the Back-to-School Exchange each fall and grant money from the Small Neighborhood Grants program has funded the Useful Goods Exchange for three years running.
The Sunnyside Family Swap Shop and Play Space opened with 85 founding families on October 1st, 2007 inside the Sunnyside Methodist Church Building at 3520 SE Yamhill Street just across from Sunnyside Park and Sunnyside Environmental School . Renovations continued through the fall to complete the spaces of this swap and play environment. Co-op members and church members joined for a joint potluck in November, 2007 to celebrate the successful first month of this community effort which is helping to financially support and revitalize the church building as a neighborhood gathering space. New co-op members join every quarter building up towards the overall goal of 200 member families who share in the cost and labor of running this co-operative place for swapping, playing, socializing and networking.
The first open houses for the Sunnyside Swap Shop Co-op’s latest venture: The Roost are being held through this summer and into the fall. The Roost is “a place to chill” for middle school students. A collaboration with Campfire USA Portland Metro Council will provide program staff in the space every day after school starting in September. Just above the existing Swap Shop inside Sunnyside Methodist Church building, 6-8th graders will have their own space to relax and reconstruct and repurpose every thing from old blue jeans to old furniture as they earn service hours helping with the other programs already in the building.
The long term vision of the Sunnyside Swap Shop Co-op is to continue to host annual swapping events open to all and provide ongoing places for community members to gather, swap, socialize and recreate while leaving a lighter footprint on the planet.
“There is no end to the solutions we can find for meeting our needs while treading lightly on the planet when we come together and share the resources we have with each other.” Karen Hery, Sunnyside Swap Shop Co-op facilitator/coordinator
