Give-away shop

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Give-away shops, freeshops, or free stores are second-hand stores that are starting to appear in Northern European towns and cities, especially in the Netherlands and Germany. They are similar to charity shops, only everything is available free at no cost. Whether it is a book, a piece of furniture, a garment or a household item, it is all freely given away. They reflect a switch over from scarcity to abundance brought about by increased material wealth due to technological advances. The idea of free goods still carries some stigma, so many people who use these shops are those who are led to either by need (financially poor, such as students, single parents and the elderly) or by conviction (anti-capitalists).

The slogan of the stores is:

There is enough for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed

The first Give-Away Shop was opened in Leiden (Netherlands), by members of the anarchist Eurodusnie Collective.

Give-away shops are often housed in squats. Naturally the shops don't make any profit, and are run by volunteers only.

In the United States Really really free market groups organize periodic "market days" in city parks. Participants are encouraged to share unneeded items, food, skills and talents (entertainment, haircutting, etc.), to clean up after themselves and to take home any of their own items they were unable to give away during the event. In other cases, used goods are picked up from the donor's homes thus eliminating overhead costs. Donors are often not motivated by financial need or strictly anti-capitalist conviction, but by a desire to get rid of what would otherwise be garbage without adding it to landfills.

Another recent development in the Give-away shop movement is the creation of the Freecycle Network that was started in Arizona for the purpose of connecting people that had extra "stuff" to get rid of and people that needed something, organized as discussion/distribution lists, usually hosted on one of the free websites, such as Yahoo! Groups.

1 Give-away shops in the Netherlands and Belgium
2 Scotland
3 England
4 Give-away shop in Norway
5 Canada
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Give-away shops in the Netherlands and Belgium

Amersfoort: Keerkring 18. Saturdays 1300-1700
Amsterdam: Singel 267. Tuesdays and Thursdays 1700-1900 and Saturdays 1200-1700
Antwerp: Ploegstraat 25. Mondays to Fridays 1400-1800
Arnhem: Huize Werfzicht aan de Rijnkade 89 and 90
Den Bosch: Vereniging Ontspoord Maijweg 64a Saturdays 1200-1500 & Tuesdays 19:00-21:00 website ontspoord (in Dutch)
Deventer: locatie de Zijbeuk, Kleine Poot 8 in Deventer Thursdays 1800-2100
Dordrecht: Spuiweg 72. Saturdays 1300-1700 0613824914
Groningen: Op Drift, 1ste Drift Spilsluizen 2, Groningen Tuesdays & Thursdays 1300-1700
Hengelo: Deldenerstraat 3 Mondays 1100-1700, Tuesdays 0930-1130, Thursdays 0900-1130 Hengelo give-away shop's website (in Dutch)
Leiden: Hooglandse Kerkgracht 4. Thursdays & Fridays 1400-1700, Saturdays 1100-1700
Rotterdam: Poortgebouw, Stieltjesstraat 38. Wednesday & Sunday 18:00 - 21:00 (during the Vegetarian Eetcafé)
Utrecht: somewhere in Hoog Catharijne. previous location has been cleared by police action. Tuesdays 1400-1800 and Saturdays 1400-1700
Zwolle: Het Nieuwe Werk Saturdays 1300-1630