The most recent is SwapSF.
The idea is that people bring the clothes they know they should get rid of; people tend to leave with about one-third of what they bring — but there isn’t a limit. The mainstays are jeans and T-shirts, Lewis said, but there is a growing number of shoes and lots of old Burning Man costumes. At one of the swaps someone handed Lewis a $3,000 tailored suit in his size. At the last swap, he got a female “fat” suit, which he plans to wear in Bay to Breakers.
Right before the doors open, DJ maer spins up some glitch hop — “hip hop that’s been screwed up in a techno kind of way,” Lewis explained. When swappers arrive, they are greeted at the door by volunteers who help organize clothing and charge $5 if you bring clothing to swap, $10 if you don’t. The next person you meet is Lewis, offering you a drink — alcoholic or not.
At the last swap there were seven tables, a wall of cubbyholes, and string on the walls to accommodate hangers. Lewis says there were about 3,000 pieces of clothing, and at the end of the swap there were still 12 moving boxes and two garbage bags of clothing to be donated. Donations went to Dolores Street Community Services, the AIDS Emergency Fund and the trauma unit of the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, where staff sometimes cut clothing off a patient.
Lewis and Hernandez’s next event will be a book swap on May 12.
“San Francisco leads the nation in consumption of literature and alcohol,” Lewis said. “Why not bring them together?”
More information can be found on the Web site: www.swapsf.com.
BUSINESS
New project: www.swapsf.com
Last project: Capture the Flag Snowball Fight
Number of e-mails a day: Lots and lots
Number of voice mails a day: Not quite so many as e-mails. But I’m pretty textually active.
Best perk: A full social calendar
Gadgets: iBook and a megaphone
Education: Academy of Art, SF
Last conference: Burning Man
Original aspiration: Either a cowboy or an astronaut. Wait — how far back do you mean?
Career objective: To throw an event at the Concourse Exhibition Center
PERSONAL
Age: 28
Likes: Maker’s Mark, road trips, karaoke, taco trucks
Dislikes: Sun-dried tomatoes, stretch Hummers, caffeinated water
Defining quirks: I tend to go on and on regarding etymology
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Sports/hobbies: Working out, cooking
Transportation: Muni
Vacation spot: Seattle in the summer
Role Model: April Ritzenthaler, a founder of the Roller Girl phenomenon.
Reading: I just started “Cerebus” by Dave Sim — only 15 volumes left to go!
Worst fear: Lifelike statues.
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