Pass it On
Down a tiny alleyway close to Phnom Penh's Royal University, a small thrift shop called Clothesline is bringing big changes to the city's growing secondhand shopping scene
Chenda and Amy are the Cambodian-American couple behind Clothesline, a one-of-a-kind Phnom Penh secondhand boutique. They take in donations of items no longer needed, and either pass them directly onto NGO partners who can make use of them, or sell those in better condition and donate part of the profits to charity. You’ll find a bit of everything at this cool little lane store, from buttons to bedding to books. I asked them how they got into this business, how they met, and what the future might hold.
I’m sure you’re asked this a lot, but what is Clothesline?
Clothesline is Phnom Penh’s (and most likely Cambodia’s) only socially-minded secondhand and eco shop. We are dedicated to building community while reducing waste and giving back to others. We focus on local secondhand goods as well offer our customer base unique jewelry and accessories that are cute and meaningful. We offer locally made eco products and support local artists, and also carry a wide range of local goods and products by brands you know and love, such as Dai Khmer, Mona Pallette, Lotus Cosmetics, Angkor Bullet Jewelry, Waste No More, and Bumblebee Soaps.
So you’re really like a thrift shop then. How does it work?
We operate similar to other thrift shops or op shops with one major difference. We sort through every donation first with the goal of giving useful and appropriate items to people and organizations in need throughout Phnom Penh and rural Cambodia. .
We take donations of clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, books, and household goods, and then take time to sort each item based on condition, style, and who is most likely to use it next. Items useful for people in need are given directly or through high-impact organizations we have chosen to help expand our reach. We only give items that are in good condition and anything damaged or old gets fixed for sale (they do everything including sewing and repairs, washing shoes, and even removing stains) or repurposed in other ways like bedding for rescue animals. We serve as an inbetween for people who want to help others with their unwanted goods but aren't sure where to start beyond giving them to coworkers or leaving them with tuktuk drivers. Many people want to know their items will be used and not just wasted and we offer this assurance since each item gets carefully sorted and made available to the right user.
For example, big size clothing in expat styles or more city styled items get sold and the money from sales is used to directly help people and projects in the community. Our goal for this year is to make an impact in some way in every province in Cambodia.
What type of people most commonly make donations?
We have a very diverse customer base and donations come from everyone. Many of our customers choose to shop second hand as a way to help reduce their environmental impact. This means we often get people bringing by a handful of items they no longer want or need as they come to shop. With Covid our donation quantity and frequency has increased significantly with many people moving within the expat community. We have become a really critical link within our community, and have quite a few Khmer customers who rally support from their families and neighborhood to try and help.
Did it take you both long to come up with the shop name?
It took a while to decide! We wanted a name that was cute but meaningful in both English and Khmer. Amy’s favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska is named Clothesline so the name was inspired a little bit by that. We also wanted to show some difference between us and the many Toto Recycle and Eco Town stores around Phnom Penh so we didn’t choose an environmentally related name even though we considered some options. The Khmer name literally means clothesrack so for a while local people thought we sold hangers, ropes, and metal clothes racks that are used for laundry here!
When we first opened Clothesline, our local community thought Amy was selling off her old (plus sized) clothes in our tiny Khmer alley. People couldn’t understand why a foreigner would sell 2nd hand. Since we have opened, many businesses have adopted a similar logo, but many of them are laundry services which also makes for confusion.
What led you to starting the business? How has it evolved?
We are two friends who met overseas in India while attending a women’s leadership program led by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, which was focused on community service, girl empowerment, and arts education. Chenda was volunteering for six months at the Girl Guide World Center in Pune when Amy came in as a guest - Chenda has actually spent significant time volunteering internationally for the Girl Guides, including time spent in India, Mexico, London and Switzerland, after being involved with the Girl Guides of Cambodia for more than two decades.
A year later Amy decided to quit her career in Alaska to travel in Southeast Asia. She came to Cambodia and, intrigued by the complexity and potential that is the Kingdom of Wonder, deciding to move to the country. “I was welcomed into Chenda’s home, and without a job had to figure out how I wanted to spend my time contributing to society. At the time we were full time caregivers to Chenda’s grandmother who had become bedridden, so we needed to think about how to earn an income at home (our street art mural facade is actually over the room where Chendas grandmother lived, both to add a bit of style but also protection for her - Chenda’s mom never opposed the mural!).”
Chenda and Amy wanted to start a business together that made a positive impact on their community beyond their professional work and volunteering. Chenda’s family has had to be resourceful most of her life, so choosing second hand whenever possible has always been about saving money more than anything else, while Amy has always been eco-minded and loves to find a bargain when shopping. “Working together we wanted to encourage our local community, especially university students, to choose secondhand and start to eliminate the stigma around buying used,” explains Chenda.
“From the beginning we have been about helping people save money while learning to reuse items over and over again. Originally we focused on just clothing but this has expanded to an inventory of budget friendly ways to express individual style as well as support local brands and eco-products. Recently we have expanded our space to offer more shopping but also host small scale community events focused on service and learning.” Unlike in many Western countries and even regional nations like Thailand and Singapore, secondhand has yet to become trendy in the Khmer community and are instead viewed as old items that are purchased simply because you cannot afford new.
“We are the only secondhand shop in Phnom Penh with a social mission, and started entirely as a way to help people in need while also offering a thrift store shopping experience that is accessible for all types of customers. Unlike the other secondhand shops in town we do not sell excess that is imported from overseas, but instead focus on items preexisting in our community. We intentionally do not sell via Facebook Live as we are working to build our community through interactions and conversations.”
Tell me about your partners, and how you work with them
We give directly and work with a variety of organizations and projects that we choose including LICADHO, Damnok Toek, Voice Cambodia, Rainwater Cambodia, Girl Guides Cambodia, Mit Samlanh, Animal Mama, Animal Rescue Cambodia, Local 4 Local, and Friends International, along with other individual and village initiatives including school and literacy projects, sanitation projects, healthcare related need, crisis response, and general love. Doing this helps us expand our reach and impact.
We also take care of needy families within our own neighborhood, ensuring people here are noticed and cared for. Often we invite people passing by to come and choose what they need. From transient families to our regular rubbish collectors we try to make sure everyone is respected and cared for, not as charity but as authentic support.
Just like we are intentional about how and where we give donations, we are also very careful and informed when we select the brands we want to carry in Clothesline. We choose products and people we believe in that match our values, which includes many women-owned and local social brands - we collaborate not compete. Worn out shirts, bedding and towels are saved for animal rescue organizations such as Animal Mama, PPAWS and Animal Rescue Cambodia to help support their street animal care efforts.
This year our goal is to reach every province in Cambodia in a meaningful way.
Where are you both from, what are your backgrounds?
Amy is originally from the United States, and was raised in northwest Arkansas. Prior to moving to Southeast Asia Amy lived in Alaska for about 15 years leading rural Girl Scout programs throughout southwestern Alaska villages, which included building a traveling rural day camp program serving 1,500 girls living in 56 villages per summer.
Chenda was born and raised here in Phnom Penh. She comes from a family of strong, independent women and helped raise her three younger brothers. Chenda’s mom has always valued education: working in a garment factory she managed to support all four children in earning college degrees, including one brother who is a medical doctor. Chenda’s life changed in high school when she learned about an after-school computer program organized by Girl Guides Cambodia. She started to learn English and became a staff member helping develop and run leadership programs for girls in Phnom Penh.
Was thrift shopping something you were both into before?
Amy has always been environmentally minded but did more garage sale shopping than thrift shopping before college. “All my high school friends got pearls for graduation but I got an upcycled vintage suitcase my mom collaged with mod-podged magazines, inside was packed with a new pair of hiking boots. I really got into second hand shopping when I was in college. We had an old shop run by the local senior center called the Bargain Hut. It was filled floor to ceiling with things you just wouldn't believe. My college was full of hippies so we loved the thrift shop and I would go a few times a week. In Alaska I was also an avid thrifter and would resell on EBay for about eight years to help fund travel. I love second hand books, retro linens, and crockery.”
Chenda’s family has always worked hard for what they have, so they are the ultimate upcyclers as nothing get wasted and everything gets used and reused again and again. “However, even though our Khmer family is resourceful they do not really see our business as successful. They actually say things like ‘Amy and Chenda sell old clothes’. Chenda has stopped trying to fight for approval because it’s just not going to happen.”
When you travel do you also enjoy visiting thrift shops?
Yes! Amy actually funded an eight month camping road trip through the American West by selling items on EBay that she found while thrift shopping. We are trying to only buy secondhand for ourselves and our nieces and nephews, whether it’s thrift shops or just on Facebook. We love the thrift shops here in Phnom Penh and also check them out when traveling or visiting family. We also love a troll through markets in the city, but honestly find it a bit exhausting when compared to shopping off a rack.
Are there any items that always sell quicker than others?
Yes, mainly local brands such as Dorsu, Tonle, Amboh, A.N.D, and Sui Joh. People love finding a local, sustainable brand secondhand. Nice and practical shoes also sell fast.
What are your ambitions for Clothesline in the future?
We have built our business from the ground up, learning as we go. We are extremely proud of being Cambodia’s only socially-minded secondhand shop and we work very hard at ensuring we are truly making an impact. It is hard work but we are committed.
We hope over the next five years we can expand to have more than one location and perhaps even open a shop in Siem Reap. We dream of having a great staff team and a good income, and that we can build a large volunteer base of invested people. We plan to start hosting events around the city, and will begin these when Covid calms down.
How can Tales of the Orient readers help to support you?
SHOP
The best way people in Phnom Penh can support us is to come shop. Bring friends, meet friends, even order by delivery. We are doing okay to make it through Covid but we are working very hard to continue our impact - sales help us deliver more impact while also being able to take care of ourselves and our family so we can keep going.
SHARE & PROMOTE
One the easiest and most impactful actions people can take is to support and engage with our social media. The algorithms are tough and engagement leads to more sales (for real!), especially those shoutouts with tags about our shop or reviews that are posted on Faceboook and Google. Wear items you bought and love from us and talk us up to your friends when they compliment your style. Next time bring them shopping!
DONATE
Locally we are well known as a place to donate and are truly grateful for the generosity of our city’s community. People often take such care in how they give their items to us making it easy to work with them, when other people mention us it’s really helpful.
VOLUNTEER
We have so many ways people can help support us. We are learning as we go and also have virtual help needs such as designing simple graphics in Canva, creating content, and also working to improve our social media and communications. We also want to branch out into fun, meaningful TikTok videos so would love some wisdom on that!
Anyone interested in volunteering with us can reach out to us through our Facebook, Instagram, or by email at clotheslineresaleboutiqueKH@gmail.com and we can figure out what ways you can best get involved. Shop credit and snacks are part of the gig!
I hope that the good you do not only makes you happy but brings you many true and lasting friendships, love, laughter and joy. May you both be abundantly blessed.
Wish you of both happiness successful in your life and business