St. Matthew’s Cathedral is an iconic building in downtown Laramie. With its gothic architecture and bright red doors, it’s hard to miss when driving down Grand Ave. But a little-known addition to this church is the small house located beside it, home to the thrift store The Clothing Cottage.
The Clothing Cottage is a nonprofit organization partnered with the church, but one does not need to be part of that community to shop there.
“We like to help out the people in need. If a family is in need of clothes or household items, we generate a voucher for them, usually 20 dollars a person,” Executive Director of the Clothing Cottage Odessa Taylor-Guzman said.
The organization takes all types of donations, including clothing, pots and pans, blankets, pillows, and more. There was even a section in the store containing vinyl records and DVDs.
“I was just talking to the creator of the Cottage the other day and she said she opened this place 20 to 24 years ago,” Taylor-Guzman said.
The Clothing Cottage is located in a small house, and each room is set up to hold specific items. One of the first rooms when you enter is the women’s section, full of everything from shirts and pants to winter jackets and shoes. The biggest room was reserved for the kids section, which was chock full of baby clothing and little shoes.
“We do accept volunteers. If someone wants to come, they just fill out an application and I interview them. If they’re a good candidate, then we’ll just have them come in and use the signup sheet to track their hours,” Taylor-Guzman said. “Volunteers do get 50% off items in the store, so that’s always a plus.”
The Clothing Cottage aims to keep everything as affordable as possible. Taylor-Guzman pointed out a shoe in the women’s section that was over 50 dollars when searched online, and the Cottage is selling it for only 20.
“There’s a “Hope and Dreams” box and all the donations go to the church, but everything we make here goes back to the store or the employees in order to keep everything up and running,” Taylor-Guzman said.
To donate, you can go to the back door of the Cottage and leave your items there during business hours. There is also a donation box for people who want to donate when the Cottage is closed.
“We get some really neat things that come through this back door, and a lot of things are brand new, too. It’s amazing, the stuff that comes through that door,” Taylor-Guzman said.
The Clothing Cottage is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
“We are always looking for volunteers, we need lots of them,” Taylor-Guzman said.
