Just off the Koopgoot, on Korte Hoogstraat 11, a rail of second-hand jeans can hang a few metres from the vintage coat someone else has been looking for all month. This is ReShare Store Rotterdam, a second-hand and vintage clothing store in Rotterdam Centrum run by the Salvation Army (Leger des Heils). The store sells clothing, shoes and accessories for women and men, with prices starting at around €2, in one of the busiest shopping areas of the city, close to Beurs metro station.
The story goes back a long way. The Salvation Army has collected clothing for people who need it since 1885, and in 2013 it started selling part of those donations in its own shops under the ReShare name. Today there are 15 ReShare Stores across the Netherlands. The idea behind them is deliberately broad: second-hand should never feel dusty, and a good clothing shop should be a place where people with a small budget and people with a bigger one shop side by side. Part of the team are people working their way towards a job, and the organisation also hands out vouchers so that people on a minimum income can choose an outfit themselves.
What ends up on the rails is a small selection. Most of the clothing comes from private donations through collection containers, topped up with samples and overstock from retailers and some vintage bought from sorting companies. After sorting on quality and style, only a few percent of everything collected is chosen for the Dutch ReShare Stores. Clothing that is still wearable but does not suit the shops goes to emergency relief or to other second-hand traders, and items that can no longer be worn go to textile recycling partners. Prices follow brand, quality and condition: everyday basics and lesser-known labels stay cheap, while vintage pieces and stronger brands cost a little more. That mix is how the store covers its costs and keeps the lowest price category possible.
Looking for affordable second-hand clothing in Rotterdam city centre? ReShare Store Rotterdam is an easy stop during a shopping day on the Lijnbaan, the Hoogstraat or in the Koopgoot, and the stock changes often enough to make a regular visit worthwhile. Shopping here works like in any other clothing store: browse, try on, pay at the till. The difference sits behind the scenes, in where the clothes come from and where the money goes. One line sums it up: clothing that one person passes on helps fund support for someone else. The opening hours are listed on this page.
