Thanks to everyone that came out to support the Swap Soiree last week! We had such a great time, and everyone in attendance really seemed to have a ball! Thanks also to Amy Paradysz for writing a great article in the Press Herald! Read the article here, and check out a couple of the photos below.
Stay tuned for more swapping goodness this spring 
courtesy of the Portland Press Herald
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TOMORROW NIGHT is our first ever Holiday SWAPMAINE Soiree! The first 20 people that show up who have pre-purchased their tickets will be receiving FREE DAY PASSES to The Portland Regency Hotel & Spa (a $30 value). Um, AWESOME. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, click here.
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Alright ladies, the SWAP Soiree is only a few days away (next Wednesday, December 5 to be exact!). You can still purchase tickets online, just click here. BUT! If you’re looking to do a little local holiday shopping this weekend and want to save the service fee, just head on over to the Portland Flea-For-All to buy your tickets in person!
If you haven’t been to the Flea, you really should. They are an indoor flea market with vendors selling art and handmade goods, vintage clothing and accessories, jewelry, furniture, and much more. I was there the other day and happen to spot an adorable hand-felted penguin ornament, so obviously I’ll be there purchasing them in bulk. Come check it out!
To purchase your tickets in person, just stop by the Portland Flea-For-All on Saturday or Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. They are located at 125 Kennebec Street (on the corner of Elm Street) in Portland. Plenty of free parking is available.
Thanks ladies, we hope to see you at the swap!
Laura
sweeter salt
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SWAPMaine is getting in on all the Cyber Monday madness!
If you haven’t already bought your ticket to our first ever Holiday SWAPMaine Soiree, you’re in luck. If you buy your ticket anytime from now until Friday, November 30th at MIDNIGHT, you’ll be entered to win TWO FREE TICKETS to the soiree! Which means a night out with your girlfriends…on you. ‘Tis the season after all…
We are going to pick FIVE winners on Saturday – which means a total of 10 free tickets will be given away. For an EXTRA chance to win, simply spread the word on facebook or twitter and tag us – @SWAPMaine! That’s it! Winners will be notified by email.
So spread the word. It’s going to be a night of swapping you won’t soon forget!
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Ok, so you’re only bringing five items to the Holiday Swap Soiree (have you bought your tickets yet?!). That means you really need to make them count. We need a strong pool of awesome stuff if everyone’s going to walk away with some sweet finds! What kind of items should you bring? Here are a couple of examples:
Cool bags and accessories. I love this vintage Dooney and Bourke bag, but I have one exactly like it in black that I wear all the time. Do I need two? Nope. 
Vintage goodies. This vintage plaid Pendleton shift dress (picked up at last fall’s swap!) is pretty great. But… sadly it is a little too big, and if I haven’t had it tailored in the past year I probably never will. So – to the swap! 
Sweater weather. Hey guys, it’s time to break out those sweaters. This gray sweater is super cozy, but it just looks a little off on me. Maybe it will look good on you? 
Barely used and worth a chance. This little H&M skirt would look adorable on someone (that’s not me). Let’s just say I have a little too much junk in the trunk to pull this one off. Someone needs this! 
Baby it’s cold outside. Um, the temps dropped and it’s time to bundle up. Some badass lady will look pretty amazing in this vintage leather jacket. You know who you are. 
Come take my clothes guys, and have some snacks and a drink while you’re at it. Buy your tickets before they sell out! Seeya December 5 
Laura
sweeter salt
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Sometimes the thing that is hardest about swaps is parting with your clothes. You want to make sure you bring enough so you can bring more than you take, but you may not want to separate from that many items. Luckily, for this swap, you only have to bring FIVE items! In turn, this means you will only take home five items, but they will be special five items. You will not be bringing home any t-shirts or sweaters with holes in it that you may wear sometime around the house. Instead it will be a fun party dress, vintage blouse, great pair of denim, or new shoes.
When you are choosing your items, give it some thought. If everyone really looks at their closet and sees something they haven’t worn for months or even the past year, consider swapping it! Is it something special you are keeping for the right occasion, but the occasion still hasn’t come? Maybe someone else has the right occasion right around the corner. If everyone take the time to pick five really great items, the better everyone’s chance of finding the perfect items.
So the moral of the story is, make a little room in your closet by getting rid of nice items you currently own but don’t wear. You can now pass them along to someone who will get lots of use out of them and in return, take home five new cool items to fill that little space you just made in your closet. Now you lose the guilt and gain five items that work with your wardrobe and get new outfits and more wear out of the things you already own.
But if picking your five items inspires you to clean out all of your closets, you can still bring all those bags to your nearest Goodwill donation center. They are always in need of donations and especially during the holiday season. Goodwill always needs your help to keep their programs going!
After folding my laundry the other day, here are a few potential items i found I may be swapping (but i still have the rest of the closet to go through!) What do you think?
buy your tickets here!
ashley
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The next SWAPMaine is upon us! We’ll be hosting our very first Swap Soiree! What does that mean? It means a smaller selection of curated beautiful clothes, cocktails, snacks and festive attire! It’s a night you won’t want to miss, ladies! We’ll be disclosing more details this week. Stay tuned and spread the word.
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The beauty in a city-wide clothing swap is the local sustainability it creates. I love when I see something brought to SWAPmaine being worn by someone new. A few weeks later, I see it the window of one of our many thrift stores. It comes back around to the next SWAPmaine and a few months later, is being sold at Goodwill. At SWAPmaine, we let you clear out the things in your closet that are taking up very important space and let you ‘shop’ for new things to fill that space. We help people who may not be able to go out and afford a new wardrobe right now, but also make fashion fun for those who like to try new things and continuously change and mold their wardrobes. We can do all this without having to produce new clothing and help support our local economy.
With all this being said, there are those items that even though they were free, you just can’t seem to let go of. Here are a few of my favorite finds from SWAPmaine’s past:
A few things I have yet to wear (oh, but I will) and a few I have worn many many times. I can’t wait to see what I will find on Sunday. I know there will be things I only wear once and send on their way, but hopefully I will find at least one thing I want to hold on to.
What are some of your favorite SWAPmaine finds from the past??
Ashley
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The swap is fast approaching, so we’re celebrating with a little video! A few of us got together to pick out some of our favorite outfits you might see this Sunday at the swap. Check us out! Thanks to Ross Duplissis for producing and editing the video and Sunset Hearts for letting us use their song “Past Lives.”
Hope you enjoy our little SWAPmaine video!
A reminder, we’re swapping the day away this Sunday, June 10 at the Portland Flea-For-All from 10:00-2:00. Entry is $5 with a bag of clothes day of, but is FREE if you stop by on Saturday, June 9.
See you there!
Laura
sweeter salt
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Recently Travel + Leisure voted Portland one of America’s Worst-Dressed cities. HOW RUDE! Though I disagree, I can see where they’re coming from. We live in a place where wearing a sleeping bag four months out of the year is customary. I get it. Exhibit A:
That would be my dog Franklin and I in matching coats. Don’t judge. We were cold.
Anyways, let’s go ahead and BREAK THAT STEREOTYPE. Wear cute outfits! If you’re a guy, wear cool, manly outfits (I hear you don’t like having your clothes called “cute”). Wanna know a super cheap way to get cute outfits?
SWAP!
Come to SWAPmaine on Sunday, June 10 at the Portland Flea For All from 10:00am to 2:00pm. You’ll gain some awesome new-to-you digs, all for the cost of your old clothes. If you bring your stuff to the pre-drop off time on Saturday, June 9 from 10:00-2:00 we’ll give you a ticket to get in free. Hooray!
So, let’s show Travel + Leisure who’s boss. Wear your finest this summer!
Laura
sweeter salt
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