The last Sunday of each month, the annex at the Bundy Museum of History and Art on Binghamton’s West Side transforms into something of a department store.
Neat rows of shoes form a stationary parade across the stage; baby clothes are folded lovingly on a table in the corner. Long tables line the perimeter of the main room, filled with all manner of clothes for both children and adults, fit for every season. Home goods, from children’s toys and art supplies to books and furniture, are stacked in the mirrored lounge.
The only things missing are the price tags.
This is Binghamton’s monthly Buy Nothing Market, hosted by a rotating cast of volunteers not affiliated with any particular organization.
“It started almost selfishly, with a need to clean out my own closets,” said Shanel Boyce, a Binghamton resident whose idea it was to host the first market in April.
“We see people from all walks of life come in here,” she continued. “We don’t ask any questions, we just help them with what we can.”
Volunteers don’t ask for the personal information of those who come through the door, like names, addresses or income; asking only the number of people per household to give organizers a rough estimate of local residents served.
As the market has grown, so has its attendance.
“As we see more and more people lose their housing, or their housing grows increasingly unstable, there is so much more that people cannot afford to buy,” said organizer Terri Weathers. “The Buy Nothing Market gives us an opportunity where people who have can give to people who do not have. It’s direct mutual aid — people looking out for people.”
On any given night, more than 560 Broome County residents access emergency shelter, up from 345 last year, according to the Stakeholders of Broome County, a local housing advocacy organization. Of those, 77 — up from 67 last year — are left with no other option but to sleep on the street.
The Buy Nothing Market is held from 11 a.m. to 2…
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