Farewell but not goodbye.
November 22, 2010
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Dear Member,
We’ve been sending out e-mails every week to remind you of our imminent closure, but this week we are saying our final farewell. Clichéd it may be, but Swop2Shop really has had a rollercoaster ride these past 16 months. We have seen the birth of this brilliant idea, felt the adrenaline rush as press articles were printed in glossies and broadcast on TV around the country and we have experienced an overwhelming sense of pride as both our team and membership have grown.
We have secured some lasting relationships with our friends and partners, Mhoula, Hello Eco Living, Ecotricity and My Zero Waste and we are extremely privileged to have received such great support from these affiliations. We thank everyone that we have worked with in the past that has helped build awareness about swapping and have strongly believed in our success; we couldn’t have done it without you.
PUBLIC AWARENESS
Public awareness of clothes swapping only began in the early nineties when small groups of friends got together to exchange clothes. However, online swapping only began very recently, with large American sites like Thred Up only starting out in 2009!! When you think of how huge America is and how small we are in comparison, it’s understandable that the swapping craze has yet to hit big in the UK.
We have many ideas floating around concerning a future Swop2Shop model, but our main priority will be to make our members feel part of a swapping community without having to pay extortionate monthly payments. Swapping has been going on for generations, between families and friends, neighbours and colleagues. We want this very basic concept to continue and evolve so that people are aware that swapping is something everyone can participate in and enjoy doing so.
Naturally, the Swop2Shop team is now dispersing to pursue different ventures, however, if you ever have any queries or you would like an update on our ongoing pursuit for funding, please be aware that you can contact Zoe Bawtree at zoe@swop2shop.co.uk.
A MESSAGE FROM ZOE
As you all know, this decision was one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make. For the last 16 months my life has revolved around Swop2Shop and it was no easy task admitting defeat, especially when both myself and Kathryn worked so hard to get it off the ground. I believe that there is still an almighty amount of potential left in this project and I’m not willing to see it disappear completely, so for now, I am closing the door on Swop2Shop and will await the time when I can reopen it once again. Thank you for being a member of Swop2Shop, I hope that your passion for swapping continues and please know that your support has been of great consolation in these difficult closing weeks.
We have decided to go to the Good Web Guide Awards in London as we were short listed from 1800 sites. We are very proud to be noticed as a small developing business hence this is not farewell. Thanks again for all your support we will let you know how we get on by visiting our facebook page.
Thank you, from all of us at Swop2Shop. We hope that you enjoyed the site.
Zoe Bawtree,
and the Swop2Shop Team.
