Donating used items isn’t just a handy way to get rid of unwanted things. By providing the community with high quality, affordable baby clothes and equipment, Merry-go-round is demonstrating that the social and environmental benefits of a less wasteful economy go further than one might think.

By Alison Irvine, Community Engagement Officer, Merry-go-round Glasgow

Sam Moir is a local Southside resident, environmental activist and founder of Merry-go-round, a nearly-new children’s boutique on Nithsdale Road.

When she had her son she realised how quickly he outgrew his clothes and baby equipment. At each growth spurt, he cast off babygrows, vests, snowsuits and booties and much of this was in perfect condition. Blown away by the environmental impact – and cost – of just one baby’s cast-offs, Moir found a solution. Merry-go-round, a nearly-new children’s boutique, was born.

That was nearly ten years ago. Now, not only does the boutique-style shop in Strathbungo sell ‘everything baby’ – all pre-loved and in excellent condition – it has become a vital Southside community hub. An events space with a kitchen and kettle is host to a range of classes and support groups. There is a thriving volunteering programme and there is a partnership scheme which works with health visitors, social workers and charities to provide free baby and toddler packs for low-income families.

At its heart remains Sam’s pragmatic economic and environmental ideology: why not pass on unwanted baby clothes? Why not keep good-as-new prams and cots circulating in the community? Why not save hard-pressed parents money? “It’s nonsensical to spend hundreds of pounds on things you don’t need, getting into debt,” she says. “And seeing as there is already so much out there in the local community, in excellent condition, there is no reason to buy new.”

Merry-go-round has been at the vanguard of a movement which, in recent years, has seen a range of reuse, repair and refillery social enterprises occupy empty shops and units in Greater Govanhill. The presence and accessibility of initiatives such as Bike for Good and Locavore have made it easier for people to make positive changes to the way they live. The introduction of quality standards within the second-hand industry has helped too. Zero Waste Scotland has created its ‘Revolve’ award which is given to stores that meet its strict quality, cleanliness and service standards. Currently over 115 second-hand stores around Scotland, including Merry-go-round, have obtained this accolade which aims to give customers confidence and reassurance to shop second-hand. It’s a timely seal of approval, because customer confidence – and community confidence – is essential in driving and sustaining these initiatives: all (with some swap-shop exceptions) rely on footfall and money exchanging hands to be successful. One of Merry-go-round’s managers, Rajkiran Atwal, who has worked in the shop since it opened in 2012 says:

“There are two types of customer. Some are coming in for the price point, others come in because they believe in the ethos of the business and want to buy second-hand over new.”

Since its opening, turnover and customer numbers have increased year on year and Sam and colleagues are keen to build on this success while keeping both types of customer in mind.

Upholding ‘the ethos of the business’ – providing high quality second-hand over new – brings its logistical challenges. As the shop relies entirely on donations, there is a practical need for space. There has to be somewhere to store and sort donations and to keep them until they’re required on the shop floor. Sam uses a space in a former gym in the Shawlands Arcade on Kilmarnock Road.

Here, rows of shelves hold bags labelled 0-3-month Vests or Hand Knits or Socks or 6-9-month sleepsuits. Moses baskets sit next to baby baths. Hanging rails hold immaculate outfits with tags still intact. Along one wall, there is a mountain of bags-for-life overspilling with donated clothes, towels, nappies, bibs and more. Along another wall are the white canvas rag-bags lined up and ready for collection to be recycled into something else. From this perfectly organised Aladdin’s Cave, a volunteer driver takes neatly labelled bags of stock to the shop and returns with more bags of donations.

Merry-go-round’s many partners come to the hub in Shawlands too to collect ‘starter packs’ for some of Glasgow’s most vulnerable families. The packs contain good-as-new sleepsuits, vests, hats, booties and outfits which local health visitors, social workers or charity staff place with low income or asylum-seeking families or families who may be living in temporary accommodation having left their previous addresses in only the clothes they were wearing. Moir’s pragmatic approach prevails. “It’s not a hand-out,” she insists, saying that the packs make sense in a world where new items are expensive to buy and end up being so little used. “It doesn’t matter if there’s no money changing hands,” she says. “We’ve got stuff and you need stuff. Let’s make those connections. Let’s match up the people with the stuff.” However, demand for the baby and toddler packs is ever increasing. “Sometimes it blows my brain,” she says. “Each month so many packs are going out. I wonder what they would do otherwise.”

One organisation, Govan HELP, sees the benefits of the packs first-hand. Annie Achurch, Volunteer Coordinator, requests packs for the families who use the organisation’s Pantry in the Pearce Institute.

She says: “This service has been crucial to the families we support, especially during the challenging times of Covid-19. To date we have received 113 baby bundles of clothes, nappies, toys, and books. Families can pick up the baby bundles from The Govan Pantry when they do their weekly food shop, which makes the process more convenient and less harrowing for parents.”

One of the women Annie works with says: “Money has been tight this year. I have been furloughed and my partner has lost his job. The baby bundles have been a great help financially and one thing less for me to worry about with everything else going on.”

An average of sixty-six packs are distributed to families in and around Glasgow each month, all made up from donations that have come through the shop’s doors. A total of 2,800 packs have been supplied since 2017.

Sam is relieved and pleased that Merry-go-round has reopened after the recent lockdowns. As well as keeping good-as-new items circulating within the Southside, the shop’s event space has reopened, providing a welcoming social space for parents and carers to meet and share experiences. She is partnering with textile recycling enterprises Apparel Xchange and the R:evolve Recycle Swap Shops in Rutherglen, Cambuslang and Hamilton in the run up to COP26 in order to raise awareness and promote the environmental and economic benefits of buying pre-loved clothes.

She is keen to increase the numbers of community and charity partners, to provide more volunteering and work opportunities, to increase the shop’s turnover and to encourage even more people to choose second-hand over new.

“We are scratching the surface,” she says. “There is more that can be done.” No doubt, with her passion and commitment and the support of the ever-more environmentally aware Southside community, she will achieve this. There cannot be a more urgent time than now.