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Our History The Great Exchange was born out of an annual event called The Community Clothing Swap & Shop. The Swap & Shop started as a group of friends who wanted to save a few bucks trading their kid’s clothes. Deciding that they wanted to share the idea with others, they invited their church community to join them the following summer. In 2008, The Swap & Shop opened its doors to the community of Chesapeake. Guests got points for every item they brought in and used those points to “purchase” items in the store. Little did these friends know that their event would draw people from as far as two hours away and continue over the next 6 summers!
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Over the years, the event brought in approximately 75,000+ clothing items with nearly 3,500 individuals served. Together, 42 community organizations and 245 individuals donated food, precious time and financial resources to the annual event. In turn, the Swap & Shop donated over 39,000 items to 5 different ministry organizations for distribution. Financial donations, totaling approximately $625.00 helped to fill the church’s emergency community-help fund, which blessed many families in need. All clothing that was unsuitable for distribution was donated to several local thrift stores, to be bundled, sold and re-purposed.
As the doors closed at the end of The 2014 Community Clothing Swap & Shop, a decision was made to take a leap and open a permanently housed clothing swap. In November of 2014, The Great Exchange opened its doors on the campus of The Bridge Christian Fellowship at 1116 Hillwell Road in the heart of Chesapeake, Virginia. What began as a dream in a living room in the small burb of Great Bridge is now a free, fashionable clothing exchange for men, women, boys and girls.
As the doors closed at the end of The 2014 Community Clothing Swap & Shop, a decision was made to take a leap and open a permanently housed clothing swap. In November of 2014, The Great Exchange opened its doors on the campus of The Bridge Christian Fellowship at 1116 Hillwell Road in the heart of Chesapeake, Virginia. What began as a dream in a living room in the small burb of Great Bridge is now a free, fashionable clothing exchange for men, women, boys and girls.
What We are About |
The Great Exchange is a ministry of The Bridge Christian Fellowship whose heart is to be an extension of the love of God to our neighbors. The Bible says it this way, “For our sake He (the Father) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). God’s love provided the greatest exchange of all. His took our old rags of sin and clothed us with His righteousness….a new life for the old one. This ministry is based on the same idea of making an “exchange”. Both are a great deal! We are NOT a thrift store. We like to think of ourselves as “a fashionable clothing swap”. That’s why we ask for your best donations. However, items that hang around the store for a while will be donated to a local thrift store. They bundle these items and ship them overseas to third-world countries or pass them to other organizations to be re-purposed. Nothing is wasted. It is recycling at its best. This means less in our landfills and a few more dollars in your pocket! Your supervised kids are always welcome.
We cater to anyone in the community who would like something “new” in their closet. Our Weight Watchers guests love having a place to trade down sizes. Teen guests enjoy walking out with new shoes or outfit for school. Our men and women love finding that perfect suit, golf shirt, dress or great pair of jeans. However, the busiest room by far seems to be our infant and toddler room where young families find clothes for their growing children. There is something for everyone and the inventory changes every week. If you or someone you know is in need of clothing, you can contact us at (757) 266-8769 or by email at thegreatexchange@thebridgecf.org. Drop us your email to be added to our mailing list for news and seasonal updates. You can also “Like us” and keep in touch through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thegreatexchangeva/)! |
How It Works |
Stop by during store hours with your donations of clean, gently worn (no holes, broken zippers, stains or missing buttons) clothing, accessories, books and jewelry that your family no longer needs. Each item is worth 1 point and will be applied to your personal guest account. Then step into our store and shop. If you bring in 25 items (or your family limit for each visit), you can leave with the same number of items….at NO COST! If you only find 12 items, your remaining points will stay in your account until future visits when you use them. Your points never expire. It’s as simple as that!
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