Kotka free shop draws hundreds of customers despite uncertain future

A free shop in Kotka, southeastern Finland, draws up to hundreds of customers a day, with long queues forming every time it opens, Yle reports. The shop is run by the volunteer organisation Kotkan kierrätys ja avustus.

The shop opens four days a week for a few hours at a time. The first customers can arrive two hours before opening, and the first 20 people are allowed inside at 11am. Each customer has 15 minutes to choose items before leaving through a separate door for the next group.

Customers can take one bag of goods. The organisation’s chair, Päivi Pirtilä, said as many as 200 people may visit during three hours.

“The number of customers has grown enormously,” Pirtilä said.

People of all ages visit the shop, including families with children, older people and students. Demand is particularly high for autumn clothing, household textiles, dishes, bed linen, rugs and toys.

Growing need for assistance

Pirtilä said the need for assistance in Kotka has increased. The number of homeless people in the city more than doubled last year. At the end of last November, 80 people were without housing in the city of about 50,000 residents.

“Homeless people came to us last week, and we looked for clothes for them. The need is enormous,” Pirtilä said.

Some visitors both donate items and take home things they need. Kotka resident Heli Salo said she has visited the free shop for years, bringing clothes she no longer needs and sometimes finding props and costumes for the local amateur theatre group Kimara.

“I often scan the shelves as soon as I come through the door to see what looks interesting, and then I move quickly. But there is enough for everyone,” Salo said.

Volunteers also prepare aid packages

Kotkan kierrätys ja avustus currently has 30 volunteers. In addition to running the shop, they prepare aid packages for people in need.

The organisation was established in its current form in 2022. A free shop was originally founded by mothers in Kotka in 2017 before moving to another location.

The Association of Finnish Recycling Centres says there is, as far as it knows, no similar operation elsewhere in Finland. Some recycling centres have separate rooms offering free goods, while organisations may also hold individual events where recycled items are distributed free of charge.

The organisation has also collected aid for people who lost their homes in fires in the surrounding area. Its latest aid package included hygiene and kitchen supplies, bed linen, pillows, rugs and clothes.

Some items are not accepted

Because the premises are small and cramped, the shop does not accept large furniture or household appliances. Child car seats are also rejected for safety reasons because the organisation cannot verify whether they have been involved in a crash or are too old.

The organisation is using a building owned by the city of Kotka free of charge until it is demolished. There is no timetable for the demolition, leaving the future of the free shop uncertain.