RICHLAND, Wash. – In an effort to support local families as the new school year begins, a small business in Richland is making a big impact with a special event. New 2 U Kids is hosting its ‘Fill a Bag Sale’ and, for the first time, the event is completely free.
The store’s co-owner Dominic Esser explained the motivation behind the event.
“This is just one thing that helps the community clothe their children,” he said.
Since 2021, New 2 U Kids has been holding monthly ‘Fill a Bag Sales’, where community members could fill up to four bags with clothes for just five dollars. This time, Esser decided to make the sale free for parents, which drew a much larger crowd.
“Usually, it’s probably about 20 people in line in the mornings when we do the $5 fill a bag. But I know that once, once there’s free involved, people love to come out for that,” he said.
Esser and his wife, who bought the store seven years ago, have seen the ‘Fill a Bag’ idea grow significantly. The initiative was born from an excess of donated clothing.
“With the donations and all the extra clothing that we were receiving. We were giving them to foster care and other, donations. Eventually the the people were, in foster care, were telling us that they were overstuffed and they couldn’t take any more from us. And so, the clothes just kept piling on and on and on, and we decided, why don’t we just have, a $5 fill a bag sale?” Esser explained.
Giving back to the community is a priority for Esser and his wife.
“One of our most favorite things, my wife and I, is giving back to the community. Because, I mean, New 2 U Kids has been a staple in the community for almost 20 years now. And a lot of families depend on the clothing that we sell. Being able to offer almost the same type of clothing that might be a little bit used or even new at a much lower discounted price is very rewarding for us,” he stated.
Esser hopes to continue holding this event monthly. He says he’ll take it month by month. For more information on the next ‘Fill a Bag Sale’, visit their Facebook page.
