Clothing Closet in Tarentum sells wardrobe staples, lifts spirits

Ruth Conklin spends her Saturday mornings straightening shirts and jackets hung from racks in the basement of Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum.

A volunteer for five years, Conklin said the Clothing Closet is a hidden gem.

“You can find brand-new winter coats, with tags, and a lot of very nice clothing,” Conklin said, from the church basement at 305 Allegheny St. “The people are so friendly, too.”

The Clothing Closet is celebrating its 12th year of community outreach. Church leaders said the mission aligns with that of the church — to function as a social gathering spot and to lift spirits.

Browsing begins at 11 a.m. Saturdays at the makeshift store filled with clothes, shoes, hats and purses. More than a dozen shoppers peruse the space from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each week, eyeing the items neatly arranged in all sizes for men, women and children.

“This service is important because every week the clothing ministry serves people who are struggling and we want to help make them a little less stressed about life’s challenges,” Director Skylar Houck said.

The clothing ministry overlaps with free meal service from the food ministry, so people can shop and then sit down for a hot bowl of soup or a homemade sandwich.

“People have enough worries,” Houck said. “If we can relieve at least one of those worries by offering affordable clothing, then we’re happy.”

With items marked at bargain prices, people can easily acquire an entire new wardrobe for less than $10.

The mission is to help people in need, whether it’s business clothes for a job interview or dressy items for a special event. The space is stocked with summer and winter wear for children, blankets, athletic apparel and gloves.

For $2, shoppers can stuff a plastic grocery bag full of clothes; a large bag full of items costs $5.

“Items are priced cheap so people can afford them, but we stock very nice clothing,” Houck said. “The more people that we can help out, the better.”

On a recent Saturday, there were rows of pants in all sizes, shelves full of men’s shoes and jackets and fancy social dresses still with price tags. A brand-new Nine West purse, marked at $65, was dropped off that morning waiting to be stocked.

“People are really so giving, and we always have really nice stuff coming in,” Houck said.

The church’s administrative assistant, Gail Taglieri, said the clothing ministry is even more busy than usual since the pandemic began two years ago.

Taglieri said a unique highlight of the clothes pantry is that items not sold within a certain time limit are donated to Mission Partners in Somerset.

That group distributes to other nonprofits or recycles the clothes into material for insulation and bedding.

“It is used, in some way, rather than creating more waste in the environment,” Taglieri said. “That, I love.”

Houck said the Clothing Closet accepts donations daily at the church. The public has become so generous with bags and boxes dropped off that the clothes pantry almost never lacks in any department, Houck said.

“If I had to pick one thing that we need, it’s men’s casual wear like T-shirts and tennis shoes,” she said.

There are no income guidelines to shopping at the Clothing Closet.

Anyone interested in donating can call the church at 724-224-9220.