Bristy Larsen has been styling hair on Dillingham’s Main Street for three years. Her salon sits across from the AC Grocery Store.
In 2020, she opened a free store in the salon. People can donate anything from clothes to furniture, to household appliances and other day-to-day necessities. The shop also serves as a place for anyone to get out of the cold and warm up.
Before there was a free store, Larsen hosted a women’s clothing exchange at her home. But as stuff began to pile up, she decided to consolidate and move it to a more accessible location.
“So I brought it to my shop which had an empty room,” she said. “And then from the empty room, it grew into almost the whole shop.”
The idea for the store comes from Lopez Island, Washington, a place Larsen frequently visits. In Lopez, garbage is shipped off the remote island. To save on that cost, Larsen said the community uses a warehouse for people to drop things off that may be reusable.
“The inspiration from that,” she said. “Where everything has a use and everyone has a need. So some things aren’t garbage but they might be garbage if you look at them that way.”
In the store’s entrance, there’s a pink sign that reads “All clothes, books, etc. are free. Generously donated by Dillinghamers.”
Clothing racks are filled with shirts, sweaters and coats. There’s a large number of jeans and snow pants, along with shoes and boots. Bookshelves have a variety of options for any age, and there are bins with an assortment of DVDs. Toiletries are also available.
“I’ve been trying to get mostly winter stuff because that’s what people need right now, is things they can use,” Larsen said. “Honestly last year, someone donated a bunch of adult diapers and pads, things that they were almost embarrassed to have. But those are the things that went fastest. People were like, ‘I need more of those,’ ‘Where do you get those? I need more.’ Anything you can imagine I have at least one of it.”
Community members are surveyed by Larsen before donating. She asks a series of questions to gauge the situation. She said people will donate for any number of reasons.
“Why do they need to donate stuff,” Larsen said. “Is it just out of kindness? Or if they are able to wash it. Some people are literally moving and they just need to get stuff out of their home as quickly as possible. That’s when I get 11 huge garbage bags from someone’s garage sale and figure out what’s winter, what’s to save what needs to get washed.”
The store space is also a way for Larsen to help those who are experiencing homelessness. Folks can go to the store to warm up or use the bathroom. In Dillingham, there are no dedicated services or public facilities for people that experience homelessness. A local coalition of community volunteers, the “homelessness task force,” meets on occasion to discuss short and long-term options for shelters.
“There have been so many people who have frozen to death, or just in a hopeless situation where a blanket or a sleeping bag might have made the difference,” Larsen said. “Gregg Marxmiller has actually brought a bunch of little camp stoves and bevy sacks so if someone did come in here and told me they were living outside, obviously I’m not gonna try to counsel them to not do it, I’m going to try and help them whatever way I can.”
In November 2020, a person living outside was found dead downtown by Dillingham police from hypothermia. In the past, the police department has provided temporary spaces at the police station. According to a safety report from Chief Dan Pasqueriello, an estimated 12-20 people in Dillingham are chronically or situationally homeless.
Larsen’s free store is open Monday through Saturday in the afternoons or evenings, unless she closes. She can be reached at 907-843-1289 or by email. People can also contact her through Facebook.
