“Typically, when people are getting rid of items they no longer need, they give them to an organization or have a yard sale and make back a little money. Either way, their abundance usually goes to people they will never know. But when the idea of a really, really free market came up on the national horizon several years ago, our faith community talked about it and decided we'd like to organize one of our own as a way of building relationships. So once a year, we invite persons from all over Memphis to come together, bring things they’re now ready to let go of, and then other persons in the community can come and shop. It’s just like a yard sale, but everything is free. Nothing is for sale here. It's a wonderful community-building event because people get into conversations about items they like and end up talking about their lives. There’s a reciprocity. Rather than keeping each other at arm’s length, we're sharing our time, our knowledge, our experiences, our connection with God and with the world, and we're getting to see life through each other’s eyes. We’re not only letting go of these items but we’re doing it with an open hand. We’re not putting any conditions on it. We’re not putting a price tag on it. We’re just letting it go. And that’s what really makes it God’s economy.”
Barbara Vann, organizer of the Really Really Free Market held annually at the Commons on Merton (258 N Merton) in Binghampton, talks with fellow volunteer Michael.
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