The Free Market of Detroit has been hosting pop-up item swapping events for the past five years. Today the organization is aiming to document their success through a coffee-table book and a short art film.

Detroit, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/20/2017 --As kids grow into adults, they are often told that nothing in the world is free. There is a sentiment that anything that appears to be free is simply too good to be true and that there is no organization or group that is benevolent enough to simply give away free products. But the team behind The Free Market of Detroit believes that this viewpoint is simply over pessimistic and does not account for the good within the heart of an average person. In fact, The Free Market of Detroit has been proving this negative point of view wrong by providing free upcycled, out-of-the-box, and gently used products to anyone within their various pop-up shops. These events have formed a supporting and close-knit community where everyone swaps their talents and their items without the exchange of money.

To document this evolution of community, the team behind The Free Market of Detroit wants to document its growth in a variety of mediums. With a picture-heavy, coffee-table book, The Free Market of Detroit hopes to capture some of the spirit of the organization and inspire others. In a similar spirit, an art film will be produced, immortalizing some of the most human and touching moments found within the shop.

As for the environment of the pop-up shops themselves, each event is held in a vast and open space alongside a live DJ, providing a friendly and casual ambiance for the room. To enter the event, all one has to do is show up and donate one item. Once an item is donated, customers can enter the shop and select from tables of items. These items are often made of donated items or fabrics through a variety of craft techniques. Some can be upcycled on-site by skills seamstresses to add some customization while others are brand new or gently used and require no modification. As a result, waste within Detroit is reduced, and people from all around the city receive value-added items for free.

However, The Free Market of Detroit has been operating with no intention to make a profit, so it has little to no funds to produce the coffee-table book and art film. To remedy this issue, the team has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Through the campaign page, supporters will receive a variety of perks ranging from upcycling tutorials to a copy of the coffee-table book. With this support, The Free Market of Detroit hopes to expand its loving community while documenting the journey.

To learn more visit the Kickstarter campaign page.