When Emily Brooker opened Esme & Elodie, she thought she was opening a clothing boutique. She quickly realized she was opening something more. “It wasn’t until I had a storefront that I realized there is a massive population of women who do not have enough,” she says. Shoppers would come in, see the prices, and walk out— not because they didn’t need clothes, but because they couldn’t afford them.
So on January 7, she set aside a corner of the store and launched a Free Community Closet in partnership with Dress for Success Seattle. Sixteen weeks later, the numbers tell the story.
By the numbers
- 2,550+ pounds of clothing donated, from more than 85 people
- 1,680+ pieces given away: clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories
- 1,700 pounds distributed off the community closet rack
- 500 pounds passed along to Dress for Success Seattle
- 100 pounds sent to textile recycling
- 325+ working hours donated by the owner and her staff
- 145+ neighbors served
“Clothing is a necessity… not a luxury,” she says. By her figures, a woman between 18 and 50 goes through roughly six major life changes that call for new clothes: pregnancy, postpartum, weight changes, a return to work, and more. Those moments don’t always line up with a healthy bank account.
How it works
Dress for Success Seattle runs on simple rules. People drop off gently used items. People who need clothing take what they need. Some bring something to exchange. Some browse, take what fits, and leave a donation behind. There’s no paperwork. No income check. No questions.
“People who have too much can give to a good cause,” the owner says. “People who have not enough can shop with dignity.”
The people behind the numbers
A few of the stories from the past four months:
- A man who recently immigrated from Somalia stopped in for clothing for his wife. He left with a donated suitcase and a full wardrobe, free of charge.
- A woman staying at the YWCA in Maple Valley came in for a blazer before a job interview. She said there were no clothing services in her area.
- A woman housing three pregnant women experiencing homelessness was looking for clothes to fit them during and after birth.
- A mom returning to the workforce after a divorce found a black blazer to interview in.
- A group of teen girls from a local high school refreshed their wardrobes off the rack.
- A woman experiencing homelessness in Seattle has been telling her friends about the boutique because the hours are easier to reach than other programs.
A bigger network
Esme & Elodie’s partner is Dress for Success Seattle, the local chapter of a global nonprofit founded in New York in 1977. Today, Dress for Success operates in more than 135 locations across 15-plus countries. The Seattle affiliate opened in 1994.
The organization focuses on women’s economic mobility. That includes career and professional support, financial literacy workshops run with banking partners, digital literacy help (including how to get and use a laptop), and ongoing career services. The Seattle chapter is nonbinary- and trans-inclusive.
Earlier this spring, Dress for Success Seattle moved into a new 64,000-square-foot space, a big jump from its previous 15,000-square-foot location, which had grown so full it sometimes had to turn donations away. Esme & Elodie has contributed thousands of pounds of clothing to that broader operation.
Save the date
Dress for Success Seattle will host its Summer Soirée on June 25 at Block 41 in Seattle.
How to participate
Drop off gently used clothing at Esme & Elodie during business hours. If you or someone you know could use a hand, stop by the community closet rack. The door’s open.
As the owner puts it: “Shopping and giving can co-exist.”