Pictures from the August 28 Share Faire: We had some strange lighting. If anyone else has pictures pass them along!
On Saturday, August 28, more than 350 people participated in the city’s second Share Faire, a Really, Really Free Market. Organized by East End Mutual Aid (EEMA), the event created a physical space where community members could gather to share goods and services. In the month leading up to the event, EEMA members spent hours going door to door in the community to invite folks and put up flyers.
The event was a resounding success and the group is currently discussing when to hold subsequent Share Faires. We certainly heard the more than two dozen of you who commented on hopes for another one in the near future. 45 people joined our announcement list at the event, with a clear majority being residents of Bloomfield, Garfield, Friendship, and East Liberty.
Some highlights of what was brought and shared:
Over a hundred books, from mystery novels to recently published textbooks. Somewhere in the area of 10 large bags of clothes were taken. A variety of new jewelry, over two dozen pairs of shoes, tools, TVs, VCRs, DVDs and some DVD players, lamps and lampshades, some very much appreciated exterior decorating materials, and much more! And yes, someone took that Dennis Rodman VHS.
Special thanks to whoever brought that huge bucket of free almond butter (all of which was shared!), the homemade cookies, etc. Additional thanks to the representative from the Blooomfield Development Corporation who stopped by to say hello.
We served over 5 Gallons of free ice cream (some vegan and some dairy), complete with sprinkles, as well as a variety of drinks. We also provideda limited amount of childcare. If anyone knows of where to get free or cheap bulk Italian Ice for subsequent events let us know!
Kids enjoyed playing with bubbles and drawing with sidewalk chalk.
Following the event we bagged up around 20 bags of unclaimed items, some for donation to local thrifts and some for distribution at the next Share Faire. We also stayed to clean up the park, ensuring it would be in even better shape than we found it.
What we could have done better:
For a variety of reasons we were unable to do as much door to door outreach as we hoped. While the turnout exceeded the previous event we’d hoped to reach more of our neighbors. One of our organizational priorities is to ensure these events are of real value to the local areas we work in. Direct outreach is therefore a priority because it ensures that attendees aren’t just drawn from the wider social circles we have access to or those with internet access/familiarity.
More on the thinking behind why we organized the Share Faire:
Too much ofour lives revolve around selling our labor and sacrificing our time to acquire more material things. We see on a daily basis how some go hungry while food goes to waste. We grow tired of and discard a possession that could be used or valued by another. We are taught that everything is scarce and this breeds competition rather than cooperation. Yet we live in a world of abundance. Within our own communities, our own neighborhoods, the skills and items that we all need already exist, and much of those are not in use. By coming together and sharing all of our excesses, we can help provide for each other. This kind of messaging was included in “price” tags we put on some of the items we brought to the event, as an additional educational outreach tool.
The flyer advertising the event:
