TEAM UP

“It’s important to us to do it in a retail setting, so that when they’re coming in, it’s a store. It doesn’t look any di erent from any other store,” Davis said. “So when they come in, they’re able to come in and shop there with their friends. ey’re maintaining those social norms that any kid would have.” e main di erence from a traditional retail shopping experience is that after a student has found what they want, they don’t have to pay anything.

“It’s available for all students, so it’s all inclusive,” Davis said. “It’s no money, no transactions. You just come in, you shop and everything’s free.” e importance of this work was evident to Davis during Clover’s

Closet prom event last year, when a young lady came in with her mother. e student selected a bubblegum pink tulle ball gown, a pair of shoes, a purse, some jewelry and makeup, Davis recalled.

“And her mom was sitting there and she was kind of nervous. She goes, ‘So how does this work?’” Davis said, explaining that she then told the mom that everything was free.

“And she looked at me and she started crying,” she said. “And you know, that’s why we do it.”

In addition to hosting these popup shops in the spring and fall, Clover’s Closet also does community outreach with other organizations such as Douglas County Human Services, local food banks and churches.

“Especially this last couple of years, there was a lot of need out there,” she said. “We try to make sure