MSP clothes closet offers choice, dignity

Choosing what to wear is a simple part of everyday life, but for people with no home and no money, making that decision can be out of reach.

A new clothing store run by Winnipeg’s Main Street Project, a nonprofit that serves the homeless populations, aims to restore that choice while honouring the memory of a volunteer who helped others feel confident and valued.

Ash’s Closet, which opened on Thursday, allows people to browse through racks of free clothing that reflect their personal tastes.

“It gives people choice and dignity, and that’s a key part of what we do,” said executive director Jamil Mahmood. “When you’re homeless, that choice gets taken away from you. You don’t know where you’re going to eat, where you’re going to sleep, where you’re going to shower, and where you’re getting your clothes from.”

The store is named after Ashley Tokaruk, who helped raise MSP’s profile through a fashion show that featured its clients.

It is modelled on a change MSP made to its food bank, which now works like a grocery store where people choose their own food instead of receiving a set package.

“You get to come shop here for free.”

Mahmood said agency staff noticed what that change meant for people who rely on it every week and wanted to do the same for clothing.

“You get to come shop here for free,” he said.

For now, the store only serves the MSP community in what is a trial period that will allow the organization to develop the procedures and systems needed to serve the public at large.

The store, decorated in bright multicoloured murals sketched and painted by artist Bria Fernandes, can be found in the newly renovated basement of MSP’s shelter at 637 Main St.

Most of the project was paid for by a fundraiser led by Katherine Silver, Tokaruk’s aunt, who raised more than $50,000 on her own in February through an online fundraiser.

The goal was to raise $11,110, but the campaign far exceeded that amount.

A community grant from the Manitoba government will support the store’s operations.

“Everything we see, every effort that’s been made, and every person who has come together to bring this store to life is because of one person, Ashley,” Silver told a crowd at the grand opening, that included Tokaruk’s parents.

The origins of the store go back about eight years to Runway to Change, a fashion show Tokaruk created with her friend Madelaine Lapointe to raise money for MSP.

That fundraiser began as a school project when Tokaruk and Lapointe were creative communications students at RRC Polytech in 2017.

Clients of MSP received new clothes and had their hair and makeup done before they walked the runway with professional models in front of a crowd.

“It impacted many of them tremendously and left them feeling confident and good,” said Cindy Titus, MSP’s director of development, who worked on the second show.

The fashion show raised money and attention for MSP at a time when, staff members said, most people in the city had not heard about it.

Titus remembered Tokaruk’s warmth and how carefully she made sure each participant felt ready to step on stage.

Silver described how Toraruk’s event had a profound impact on MSP clients such as Al Wiebe, who was able to get back on his feet and is now an inspirational speaker. He credits Tokaruk’s encouragement through the fashion show with changing the course of his life.

Tokaruk died suddenly in 2021 at the age of 27 after moving to Toronto.

kelly.riess@winnipegfreepress.com