the wise mule

The Wise Mule's mission is centered around the belief that everyone deserves access to clean, curated, high-quality clothing and household goods, regardless of ability to pay. While there's often no shortage of “stuff” in the world, there is often a lack of dignified, organized, and welcoming ways to access it. The Wise Mule hopes to help bridge that gap.

built by our community, for our community

The Wise Mule exists thanks to the incredible support of our community in Old Fort and surrounding areas. The bus itself, the materials used to build it out, countless hours of labor, financial support, donated items to stock the shelves, and more have all come from neighbors pitching in together. Without that outpouring of care and collaboration, The Wise Mule would still be just an idea. 

before the mule

During quarantine in 2020, the founder of The Wise Mule had the idea to organize a local puzzle exchange to swap out jigsaw puzzles that she'd already completed with new ones from neighbors. That idea grew into a community-wide "anything exchange," which eventually became the Old Fort Free Community Exchange (the FCE): a recurring, no-money pop-up event hosted mostly at the Old Fort Library where people could bring items, take items, or both. After Hurricane Helene left Old Fort overwhelmed with donations (especially clothing), The Wise Mule was born as the next chapter of the FCE: a permanent, curated, and welcoming home for people to access donations with dignity.