The Free Store
Sharing - With enough for all!
Note: Customers must register once per year, whether you’re a new or returning customer.
Free Store Hours
For both shopping and donating
Tuesdays: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Wednesdays: 2:00 - 6:00 PM
Thursdays: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Our Free Store was created by low-income mothers who had no local family members who could share hand-me-down items for their children. Today, we provide clothes, bedding, toiletries, and small houseware items for adults and children of all ages. We only accept donations in excellent condition, so shoppers can have the best we can offer. We aim to provide shoppers dignity, a meeting place and tangible support that improves their well-being.
Rules For Shoppers
Registered customers are welcome to shop once a week. You do not need an appointment to shop.
All shoppers must provide ID: We take the health and safety of our volunteers and shoppers seriously, so you will be asked to provide ID before entering.
All shoppers will be provided with a mask and hand sanitizer before entering, and we ask that only one person per household come inside.
Donate to The LIFE*SPIN Free Store
We help relieve poverty by hosting a Free Store at 872 Dundas Street
Government cutbacks, increasing rents, and declining incomes have contributed to London's rising poverty rate. With the increasing decline in funding of social service agencies, LIFE*SPIN’s contribution to society has become increasingly valuable. Drawing from extensive experience in providing mediation, housing for the homeless, and a food security program, LIFE*SPIN became aware of the urgent need for decent clothing and household articles for the clients referred to us by several social service agencies.
Please donate in-season clothing in excellent condition.
The demand for items offered at the Free Store is growing annually, so we are always looking for donations. The LIFE*SPIN Free Store accepts and distributes donations of household items, tools, “in-season” new or clean used clothing, etc. Please ensure the items are cleaned and are in excellent condition. Our store is very small and we deeply appreciate the time you take to help get all items ‘shelf ready’.
The Free Store does not accept donations of furniture, food products, used car seats or used cribs. As we have limited space, we request that the following items be donated elsewhere:
Garage-sale leftovers
Out-of-season clothing or clothing that is not in excellent condition
Knick-knacks
Toys or games that are tired or missing pieces
Books/magazines/puzzles
Used underwear/socks
Toiletries that have been opened
Anything that needs to be repaired
For Drop Off: come up Ontario Street at Dundas Street - Look for the Donation Drop Door (the white side door), and please ring the bell.
Please do not leave items at the door without notifying us! Please ring the doorbell to let us know you are here.
Free Store
872 Dundas Street, London, ON
(At the corner of Ontario St. and Dundas St.)
For shopping and donation drop-offs
Tuesdays: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Wednesdays: 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thursdays: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Hours
Donations We Accept
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Towels, Bedding
Curtains
Dish Sets (Sets of 2 or more)
Cutlery Sets
Small Appliances, such as:
Blenders
Blow dryers & Hair tools
Food processors
Irons
Microwaves
Mixers
Slow Cookers, rice cookers
Toasters
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In-season clothing
NEW socks and underwear only
Small stuffed animals
Chapter books (up to ages 9-12)
-
Soap: shampoo, body wash, bar soap
Deodorant
Razors
Skincare items
Toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss
Lip balm
Pads and tampons
Diapers (for babies and adults) in any size
Large Item Donor Registry
LIFE*SPIN may also facilitate getting donated appliances and furniture to the people who need them. It is critical that these donations are in working order. To donate, please call us, and a volunteer will try to connect you with someone on our waiting list in need of this item.
It is up to the parties to arrange pickup/delivery among themselves. LIFE*SPIN will put you in contact with the individual, but we will not arrange the exchange.
Volunteering
If you’re considering re-entry into the workforce, volunteering is a great way to get experience in your area of interest, and meet people in the field. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to practice important skills used in the workplace, such as teamwork, communication, problem solving, project planning, task management, and organization. You might feel more comfortable job searching and interviewing, once you’ve honed these skills in a volunteer position first.
Thank you Odie!
On behalf of MPP Lindsay Mathyssen, our Odie, the Manager of the Free Store, received the Queens Jubilee Pin for her volunteer work and contributions to our community.
We are so proud of you Odie, and we are so proud of the Free Store! Thank you for all that you do!
History of the Free Store
The concept of a free store first surfaced in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, during the summer of 1967. It was the inspiration of Peter Berg and Emmett Grogan, who both belonged to the San Francisco Mime Troupe, a "guerrilla" theatre group using street theatre as a way of organizing the hippie community. As a put-on and a parody of a capitalist economy based on money, the free store became a part of a spontaneous network of enterprises criticizing private ownership.
Together with the provision of free food, free housing and free garages, the clothes supplied by the free store were given away as common property to anyone who needed them. At the same time, anyone who wanted to help distribute clothes and organize the store were welcomed. In other words, for a brief period of time, the slogan "from each according to his/her ability, to each according to his/her needs" became a working reality.
At its best, the free store incarnated a spirit of brother and sisterhood which encouraged people to treat one another as whole persons, and which aimed at undoing the competition for scarce goods mentality, introducing instead a sense of sharing- with enough for all.
Over the years, the free store idea has expanded to include open space in cities, to be used for growing communal food. Food, like clothing, shelter, education and health care, is a basic necessity of human life. These are human rights. They should be FREE.