Humming behind boxes of frames, books, knickknacks, tchotchkes, craft supplies and dishware, Jocelyn Meggait prepares to open her store. Lodged between an ice cream shop, an aquarium, and an auto shop in Oakland’s Lower Dimond, one thing’s different here from the rest of the businesses in the strip mall: Nearly everything is free.
“One free item per person per day,” Meggait said.
That’s the motto of Free Oakland Up, a mutual aid and art project that’s been operating in Oakland for over a decade. When Meggait — the founder and sole employee — opened the storefront in 2014, she wasn’t sure how long the project could sustain itself. Now, she doesn’t plan on closing until she “can’t walk.”
At a time where prices are at an all-time high and job scarcity is rising, the store gives customers the thrill of bargain hunting without budgetary concerns. Some of the items, like a collection of typewriters and fine china, set off by a piece of thin blue tape on the floor, can be bought for a “fair price.” And when those don’t sell, they move over to the free space…