NEW YORK ARTISTS OPEN "FREE STORE." AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

…It is a shop front in Nassau Street, a couple of blocks away from Wall Street, that would be utterly forgettable were it not for the two words stamped across its glass: Free Store.

In the age of postmodern advertising, slogans like “free store” usually mean the opposite – they are probably being used to market hyper-exclusive shops selling nothing under $1,000. But in this case free store is precisely what it says.

Every item on offer inside the small shop is free. Anyone off the street can browse through its goods, select an item, and if they think they need it, walk out with it utterly without charge….

The shop is the creation of two artists, Athena Robles and Anna Stein, who have launched it with the help of a $9,000 grant from a local cultural body and the September 11 fund. They began planning it 18 months ago but believe the timing of its opening now is singularly appropriate. “It’s a certain time in history in this country when people really need to help each other out.” Read More.