Stop shopping, try swapping: Introducing the Clothes Exchange on Saturday 25th Jan

Next Saturday Union St will be hosting the first clothes exchange of 2025 and we caught up with Jess from Common Thread to learn all about the wonderful world of clothes exchanges, the concept behind them, and what you can expect to find.

---

Hi Jess! For the uninitiated, could you explain to us what a clothes exchange is?

“Sure! First off, it’s not our concept - this is a thing that has existed for ages. And the first community clothes exchange that I came across actually started in the Netherlands.

“But the way we do it is that we work on an honesty policy basis rather than a token system. Lots of exchanges count the amount of items in and count the amount of items out, and they keep records.

"We keep it simple, and we say bring a bag of things you don’t need anymore, and take a bag away. The items that you bring must be clean and in good condition - so no rips, tears or stains.”

Do you have to donate clothes to come along?

“We say bring a bag, take a bag, but you can drop off donations anytime. And sometimes you don’t have anything to donate when the exchange rolls around. So it’s not essential to bring a bag. 

“It is essential to pay if you just want to come as a punter, but we do want it to be accessible and there are always volunteer slots available. If the cost of the event (£5) isn’t accessible to some people, they should request to volunteer.”

What’s the thinking behind a clothes exchange?

“Well, basically fast fashion is awful - in a word! Everything is outsourced to countries where labour is cheap, inspections are virtually non-existent, and the materials are sourced as cheaply as possible and in the least sustainable way.

“But a lot of the costs of fast fashion to people and the planet are hidden, and we don’t necessarily know about them. And the fact we’ve been advertised to for so long, it means there’s a certain pressure to dress a certain way and to follow trends. At the clothes exchange we do understand that and we’re not trying to judge anyone. The idea of a clothes exchange is an accessible and fun way to introduce people to the idea of slow fashion.

“What we’re trying to say is: stop shopping, try swapping. You’ll get the same thrill and fun as you do when you go shopping, but you won’t be supporting businesses like that. Instead you’ll be supporting a co-operative way of doing things. You’ll make friends, you’ll have a good time, you can bring your Gran, you can bring your mates, you can bring your kids, it’s very inclusive, it’s non-judgmental, and you will genuinely have a great time. And in the end you’ll come away with some quality new clothes - for an absolute bargain.”

What if I don’t find something I like?

“If you can’t find something for you, go shopping for friends and family. Because there’s no limit on how much you can take it away - so treat it as a library. If you take things and you don’t end up wearing them, you can always bring them back.”

Can I repair old clothes there?

“If you have items that you want to repair or restyle then keep them on you and take them to the repair station. Our volunteers there will help you repair them if they can, or give you advice on how to get them repaired.”

What’s different for this edition?

“What we’ve decided for this one is that we’re going to spread it out over three floors rather than two, so that we can get more stuff out. And we’ve upped the amount of volunteers we’ve asked for as well. So I’m hopeful we can get a really good variety of clothes.”

Cheers Jess!

---

You can buy a ticket for next Saturday's Clothes Exchange right here.

And you can stay up-to-date with Common Thread Sheffield on their Facebook page.

Update: Common Thread have teamed-up with Good Gym Sheffield who'll be jogging to Union St on a monthly Monday evening to help with a clothes sorting session in the cafe, the next session is on Monday 10th Feb here and future sessions are here x

January's Pop-Ups

From 8:30am every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday our Baristas serve award winning Dark Peak locally roasted at Smith St in Sheffield alongside freshly baked pastries from 4 Eyes Patisserie, with independent traders serving lunches from 12 til 2pm;

• Thursday 2nd Jan - Soup and Toasties by Icarus and Apollo

• Tues 7th: Nepalese tali plates by Prem

• Wed 8th: Internationally Inspired Street Food (V & Ve) by Icarus & Apollo

• Thurs 9th: Black Heritage Soul Food by Urban Fusion

  
  

• Tues 14th: Nepalese tali plates by Prem

• Wed 15th: Authentic Pakistani Curries, Samosas & Pakora by Azra from Ammi's Kitchen

• Thurs 16th: Black Heritage Soul Food by Urban Fusion

• Tues 21st: Nepalese tali plates by Prem

• Wed 22nd: International Street Food (V & Ve) by Icarus & Apollo

• Thurs 23rd: Black Heritage Soul Food by Urban Fusion

• Tues 28th - Nepalese tali plates by Prem

• Wed 29th - International Street Food (V & Ve) by Icarus & Apollo

• Thurs 30th - Black Heritage Soul Food by Urban Fusion

How to Choose Your Co-working Space

Author: Ali, a co-worker at Union St.

Co-working has bounced back from Covid-19 big time. And in Sheffield, where the Peak District acts as a constant temptation for hikers, bikers, climbers and general outdoors enthusiasts, a flexible approach to working is here to stay.

But where to go? Well, spoiler alert: the co-working spaces in Sheffield are all different, and the ‘right’ one for you depends on what you’re looking for. I’ve tried most of the main options myself, and Union St was the best fit for me. But that might not be the case for you. So let’s get into it.

Review number 1: Union St

Where: By the Peace Gardens in the city centre

Best for: Community and meeting other people

Union St is a non-profit community hub, made up of four floors. There’s a popular, buzzy cafe (with rotating street-food options), two middle floors of co-working and hotdesking, and a top floor of desks set aside for small businesses.

Now, for me, I wanted to find a co-working space because I felt increasingly isolated working from home all the time. Getting to know a few people – and feeling like I was getting up, and getting out and about – was important to me.

Happily, Union St has been brilliant for that. There’s generally a friendly hubbub of chat whilst you work and at lunchtimes people often eat together or grab a coffee. On certain lunchtimes, and at 3pm on some days, there are more organised social gatherings (for example, baked potatoes are provided for free on Mondays and there’s tea and cake on Thursday afternoons) for those who wish to join.

I spent quite a lot of time wondering what exactly the ‘get involved’ 50% refund was all about, and whether this meant mandatory group yoga or similar. Reader, it does not. 

It’s really just a bit of an incentive to do something for the co-working community: organising post-work drinks, locking up in the evening, writing a blog article – it’s up to you. It means there’s pretty much always something going on, and lots of different ways to meet people. 

Phone booths and meeting rooms are generally readily available if you need them and can be booked online. Some of the facilities, like the toilets, are a little tired and there’s no dishwasher if that bothers you. The decor is perhaps more ‘common room’ than ‘corporate’ – whether you like that or not is up to you to decide.

• Community: Five stars

• Location: Five stars

• Facilities: Three stars

• Price: With the 50% refund, five stars. Without, three stars.

  
  

Review number 2: Wizu

Where: Bottom of the Moor

Best for: Quiet concentration

Before I joined Union St I worked from Wizu for six months. Wizu own the entire tower block, with most floors being rented to established businesses as offices. There is an open-plan co-working area that occupies around half of one floor.Inside, the facilities are modern and it’s a bright, airy space with a reception. It’s not in the most illustrious part of town: the building is reminiscent of the opening credits of The Office and the view looks out over Decathlon and a busy roundabout. 

Because of this, and because the co-working space is shared with workers from Wizu’s office spaces (who sometimes have alarmingly frank meetings there), there’s quite a corporate feel. People often take calls at their desks too.

Everyone I spoke to was friendly but the atmosphere is closer to a library for quiet study than an office or a cafe. Starting a conversation required puncturing the silence which always felt a little awkward, and as if everyone else was listening in. 

Depending on what you’re after, Wizu might be right for you. It’s a pleasant space with pleasant people and good facilities, and it’s reasonably priced. If you’re less interested in getting to know people, and just want to get your head down for the day, it’s a decent shout.

• Community: Two stars

• Location: Three stars

• Facilities: Four stars

• Price: Four stars

Review number 3: Cubo

Where: Carver Street, in the city centre

Best for: 24/7 access

Like Wizu, Cubo is a business operating in several British cities and is primarily interested in leasing office space to companies, with some space set aside for co-workers. It seems they might have hired the same interior designer as well. 

It only opened in 2021, and as a result has some pretty shiny facilities, including bike storage, a rooftop garden space and a 24/7 access system to the building.

There’s free draught beer on tap too, if that swings it for you. But with prices starting at £199 + VAT for a co-working membership it’s considerably more expensive than both Union St and Wizu (so make sure you drink your fair share of free beer).

• Community: Two stars

• Location: Five stars

• Facilities: Four stars

• Price: Two stars

Review number 4: Your local cafe

Where: You tell me

Best for: a quick change of scene

It's an option. But not one I’d recommend long-term. A visit to a cafe is great for breaking up your day, but they’re not really set up for co-working. 

You can’t take calls and you’ll find it hard to build much of a community. If you’re going regularly it’s not really cost-effective either, unless you’re nursing your latte over several hours (which probably isn’t making you very popular). 

The Showroom Cafe

That said, Cutlery Works in Kelham, Hygge in Fitzalan Square and Showroom Cinema near the station all offer deals to remote workers – generally you pay a certain amount for the day, and get unlimited coffee and reliable WiFi in return. 

It’s a good option if you only want to do the odd day of co-working, or if you’re in town for a brief stint. But if you’re looking for something more permanent, the facilities and community offered by dedicated co-working spaces are, in my opinion, a much better idea.

• Community: Two stars

• Location: Depends on your perspective

• Facilities: Two stars

• Price: Three stars

  
  

Hopefully that’s shed some light on your options here in Sheffield. But the best way to see if a co-working space is right for you is to go ahead and book a tour.