Meet Allison Custar of Dayton, Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Custar.

Hi Allison , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Closet TRANSformation Inc. (CTI) was founded in 2019 by two mental health therapists (Allison Custar and Amy Monteith) and lifelong allies of the LGBTQIA+ community. In November 2019, we saw an article on NPR about a transgender clothing exchange in Cincinnati, Ohio and realized that our local community could benefit from a similar service. From there, we established a non-profit organization and began accepting clothing donations from the community to set up a clothing exchange affirming the transgender community of the Miami Valley. We began in a basement, moved to a garage, and then to two garages, and finally landed at our current space in downtown Dayton. We have a boutique space set up for shopping by appointment and we are open to all LGBTQIA+ individuals. We do not require a clothing donation to be able to shop in our boutique and all of the items in our boutique are free of charge. In addition to clothing we also stock chest binders, shoes, jewelry, purses/bags, wigs, belts, ties, and other accessories.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our biggest obstacle was securing space. We started in Allison’s basement until the basement flooded and then we moved to Amy’s garage. Amy later needed garage space as she renovated her kitchen, so we divided the items into masculine and feminine and half was in Amy’s garage and half was in Allison’s garage until we finally secured space in downtown Dayton in October 2023.

Funding has been another challenge. The only expense we have is rent and we secure funding through grants and donations to cover this expense. Everything else is donated (clothing items, volunteer hours, etc).

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Non-profit clothing exchange, advocacy work, and community training.

How do you think about luck?
We have been incredibly lucky to have generous donations by the community that have kept Closet TRANSformation fully stocked with clothing from sizes XS – 5X for nearly 6 years. We have received so many donations that we have often had to place a hold on new donations as we have run out of rack space and storage space. We have also been fortunate enough to partner with wonderful local organizations and people who have helped us with fundraising efforts and that allows us to keep this safe, affirming space open to the community at no cost to the shoppers. Lastly, we’ve recently been very lucky to receive a large donation that will allow us to cover our rent for the next year.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.closettransformation.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closettransformation/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/closettransformation/