Welcoming environment offers free clothing and household goods to neighbors who’ve lost homes
Outside of Malibu, its reputation belies the real community of givers who live here and care for their neighbors in a time of need. Malibu has endured many tragic events over the decades and perhaps now with more frequency after the Woolsey and Franklin fires, and now the Palisades Fire, which has displaced hundreds of local families whose homes have burned.
However, a group of volunteers is working nearly around the clock to help fire survivors get back to a sense ofnormalcy by stocking and opening a Community Closet where those in need can shop gratis for clothing, bedding, and other needs.
Tracy Park, Catherine Malcolm Brickman, and Karin Al-Hardin are some of the many caring locals who have opened up the Community Closet. The pop-up is a boutique style center, “so you don’t go rummaging through a box, it’s set up like a store,” said Brickman, who explained the atmosphere is a shopping experience in a space that maintains “dignity, normalcy, and a place of quiet.”
Park and Brickman set up a Community Closet to assist Woolsey Fire survivors and this time brought aboard Al-Hardin, who’s “super organized,” and Zoe Shapiro, who ran the beloved children’s clothing store 98% Angel. The volunteers were generously given space to set up the free boutique, located at Compass Malibu at 24903 Pacific Coast Highway, that had suffered some damage during the Franklin Fire. Brickman and other volunteers spent hours mopping and scouring the offices to be cleared of any smoke or soot. Building owner Monty Ferdowsi even donated the garage for use in presorting of donations.
“That’s important, because what I’ve witnessed driving around to other donations centers is, you have to do this in the most efficient way, and that you don’t impact other retail shops,” Brickman said. “You have to have a place for donations to come in. You have to sort it because otherwise it feels like chaos.”
Al-Hardin of the Malibu Education Foundation is volunteering because so many Malibuites are affected. She secured donations from Lowe’s and Amazon, which are partly being used to build the sorting area. She’s rolled up her sleeves with other volunteers in making the shopping experience an oasis for those who have endured the hardship of losing everything they own.
The organizers of the Community Closet are striving for a calming, clean atmosphere with personal shoppers to assist you, and they’ve achieved their goal. The cheerful and supportive volunteers go out of their way to help shoppers who’ve just experienced the trauma of losing their homes, clothes, and belongings to procure the right size and items to fill their immediate needs of clothing and other necessary household items.
Along with some designer pieces, Community Closet was gifted with new clothing and bedding, plus 100 Squishmallow plush toys donated by Alison Victoria of HGTV. There are racks of new clothes from Jen Rossi of Jen’sPirate Booty; inventory from Sea N Soul and a coffee cart coming; and furnishings from Meredith Baer Home, Brooke McLaren from San Francisco, The Nines, and Love My Neighbour. There are men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, gently worn shoes, and toys. Most item are new with tags. Anyone affected by the recent fires can shop the closet for free with a FEMA number and ID.
The Community Closet is partnering with the Malibu Foundation, a fire recovery non-profit 501(c)3. “Their mission aligned with what we are doing because their community outreach is to serve the community, especially in a fire and environmental sustainability,” Brickman explained.
Shopping hours are Tuesdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment through April 1. On April 2, the remaining goods will be sold with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Malibu Foundation eventually to be used for counseling or as needed.
Organizers would also like to thank Capt. Jennifer Seetoo of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, who collected items, and Stephanie Rocco, Dana Rolland, and Dania Bahrami for making the Community Closet possible.
To make a tax-deductible donation, volunteer or donate items go to thecommunitycloset2025@Gmail.com or Instagram @the_community_closet
