Testimonials about the Sunnyside Family Swap Shop and Play Space:

[…]If you’re looking for some good news in these all-too-depressing economic times, check out what’s been going on over the past few months on the corner of Southeast 35th Avenue and Yamhill Street.

In a once decaying space in the grand old Sunnyside United Methodist Church, for 12 hours a day, six days a week, children now tumble through indoor play structures. Grown-ups gather for weekly meet-ups and companionship, and families of all shapes and sizes give what they don’t need and take what they do.[…]

From
Radical rummage
Give-some-take-some exchange has a bigger purpose
BY AUDREY VAN BUSKIRK in The Portland Tribune, Apr 8, 2008
Read the full article

Thanks!
This is the best kept secret in town. I cannot ask for a better way to build community, to have a safe place for our kids to play, to share similar values with other families and to save our planet!
- Fanny Gonzalez-MkKaney

We recently moved to Portland from the east coast and feel like the co-op embodies everything we love about the culture here.
- The Helzers

Our child isn’t one who normally plays independently for very long. This space has helped him achieve this goal.
- Kerrie and Chris Waymire

This indoor park has been a godsend for me and my 2 kids during the rainy weather!
- The Rubins

Testimonials about the annual Useful Goods Exchange:

How does the Family Swap Shop and Play Space work?

Members bring in items that can be used in the play space or taken home by other families. Children play in the play space supervised by their own family while adults sort through items such as clothes and books that they would like to exchange. Each co-op family takes on responsibility for a certain area or task of the co-op creating a safe, clean, creative, community space. Co-op fees are used to cover the costs of rent, insurance and supplies an also to hire local artists and entertainers to perform in the space.

Where is the Family Swap Shop and Play Space located?

Inside the Sunnyside United Methodist at the corner of SE Yamhill and SE 35th directly across from Sunnyside Environmental School and Sunnyside’s neighborhood park.

How big is the space and how is it set up?

The Swap Shop Co-op has renovated a great room with four connected smaller rooms totaling about 2,200 square feet to create a space that feels much like a small children’s museum or large daycare area. There are comfortable couches and chairs for adults to recline in and socialize and lots of gross and fine motor play opportunities for children- infant through ten years old.

The space includes:
• - A great room for general play.
• - An infant/toddler room. Another picture is here.
• - An arts and crafts area.
• - A stage for dramatic play
• - Library shelves with swappable books, videos and music.
• - A big kids room with games, Legos and toys for play and swap
• - A swap storage room for adult and children’s clothing
• - A cheerful bathroom right in the space
• -Secluded outdoor play area, away from traffic and street noise

How does swapping work?

Member families only bring in items that are clean, in good condition and seasonally appropriate (no pool toys in December or snow gear in July.) Every family places their own swap items in the space, putting toys and books on shelves and clothing on racks and in bins.

Every family’s commitment to bring as much at they take and take as much as they give keeps the space full but not too full of useful goods to share.

It is perfectly OK to shop before you swap. If you aren’t sure you want to bring something in because you are uncertain what you would pick up for it in return, first find the item or items you want, take them home, return at a later time with your replacement item(s).

Labeling your item: If the item you are bringing in is special to your family in some way (hand made, from a special culture or country, your family had a unique way of using it) you can add a label so other families can appreciate its unique history.

In order to have a full stock of the things people want but not be over stocked on certain items, we use email postings and a signs in the space hold off on some items and call for others.

Not for swap items: Certain items are meant to stay in the space for all to use. A not-for-swap sign is put on essential items. Other items have a leave behind guideline (such as: at least six trains on the train table).