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Clothing drives are common during the winter and back-to-school season, but Joy Barr knows kids grow more than twice a year. In recent years, Barr’s nonprofit BarrCode5 Closet hosted winter clothing drives for children on the far east side. Now, she’s opened a brick-and-mortar location that she hopes will help families year round. 

“We want to be able to reach these children more on a consistent basis throughout the year whenever they need the clothes, whether it’s for school or just to have,” Barr said. 

BarrCode5 Closet is open to families with children under 18 years old who are in need of clothing assistance. Families can browse privately to find brand new, donated items free of charge. Barr said if the shop does not have an item a family is looking for, the nonprofit has options to ensure families will receive what they need.

Barr has taken special care to make BarrCode5 Closet feel like a boutique. She has installed trendy flooring and there is a mural of the far east side on one wall. Clothes are on display throughout the shop and hang on racks for clients to browse.

“I wanted the children to feel like they’re actually at the mall shopping,” Barr said. “I didn’t want it to feel like they’re somewhere like a clothing closet behind a congregation or a shared space.”

Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian.

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Kids’ clothes are expensive. This far eastside community closet wants to help.

by Darian Benson, Mirror Indy
August 5, 2024

<h1>Kids’ clothes are expensive. This far eastside community closet wants to help.</h1> <p class="byline">by Darian Benson, Mirror Indy <br />August 5, 2024</p> <p>Clothing drives are common during the winter and back-to-school season, but Joy Barr knows kids grow more than twice a year. In recent years, Barr’s <a href="https://barrcode5closet.org/">nonprofit BarrCode5 Closet </a>hosted winter clothing drives for children on the far east side. Now, she’s opened a brick-and-mortar location that she hopes will help families year round.&nbsp;</p> <p>"We want to be able to reach these children more on a consistent basis throughout the year whenever they need the clothes, whether it's for school or just to have," Barr said. </p> <p>BarrCode5 Closet is open to families with children under 18 years old who are in need of clothing assistance. Families can browse privately to find brand new, donated items free of charge. Barr said if the shop does not have an item a family is looking for, the nonprofit has options to ensure families will receive what they need.</p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow aligncenter" data-effect="slide"> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_container swiper-container"> <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-30747" data-id="30747" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/BarrCode5_MY04-1024x682.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Founder Joy Barr cuts a ribbon for the grand opening of BarrCode5 Closet on Aug. 3, 2024, which is a new nonprofit community closet where families can shop for free clothes. The storefront is located at Plaza Urbana on the far east side.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-30749" data-id="30749" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/BarrCode5_MY01-1024x682.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Founder Joy Barr (right) helps guests and loved ones browse during the grand opening of BarrCode5 Closet on Aug. 3, 2024, which is a new nonprofit community closet where families can shop for free clothes. The storefront is located at Plaza Urbana on the far east side.</figcaption></figure> </li> <li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"> <figure><img alt="" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_image wp-image-30741" data-id="30741" src="https://mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/BarrCode5_MY10-682x1024.jpg" /><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Clothes hang on racks at BarrCode5 Closet on Aug. 3, 2024, which is a new nonprofit community closet where families can shop for free clothes.</figcaption></figure> </li> </ul> <p><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white" role="button"></a><a aria-label="Pause Slideshow" class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause" role="button"></a></p> <div class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_pagination swiper-pagination swiper-pagination-white"></div> </div> </div> <p>Barr has taken special care to make BarrCode5 Closet feel like a boutique. She has installed trendy flooring and there is a mural of the far east side on one wall. Clothes are on display throughout the shop and hang on racks for clients to browse.</p> <p>"I wanted the children to feel like they're actually at the mall shopping," Barr said. "I didn't want it to feel like they're somewhere like a clothing closet behind a congregation or a shared space."</p> <div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-go">If you go</h3> <p>BarrCode5 Closet is located in suite H13 at Plaza Urbana, 3827 N. Mitthoeffer Road. For more information, call 317-699-7366 or email <a href="mailto:info@barrcode5closet.org">info@barrcode5closet.org</a>. Appointments are made through referral only. </p> </p></div> <p><em>Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or </em><a href="mailto:darian.benson@mirrorindy.org"><em>darian.benson@mirrorindy.org</em></a><em>. Follow her on X </em><a href="https://twitter.com/HelloImDarian"><em>@HelloImDarian</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/far-east-side-community-closet-barrcode5-childrens-clothes-assistance-indianapolis/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=30791&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/far-east-side-community-closet-barrcode5-childrens-clothes-assistance-indianapolis/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</p> Copy to Clipboard

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